FoodOpera

Boozy cherry, plum and almond cake

2012-02-23T23:25:00.003-08:00

Recently I have been working on a magazine titled NZ Lifestyle Block, which features stories about self-sufficiency, organic gardening, orchard care, herbs and my favorites, cheese making, preserving and cooking from your home garden. Its a great read, edited by a passionate woman called Nadene who in my eyes, is definitely living the dream.

Of course, I imagine her starting her day looking out her bay windows in her self built home (TRUE but with her dad's help!), at the lambs who are prancing around in the front garden, whilst she decides shall I have free range duck eggs on homemade crusty bread for breakfast and wondering if her homemade wine has fermented sufficiently for wine o'clock.

However the truth is she works a hell of a lot harder than that, and booze is actually not her thing which from time to time works in my favor. Being an editor she receives a lot of different products to try and this week she received Morrello Cherries seeped in Kirsch by a company called schnappdragon. To be honest, I just fell in love with the name and decided there and then I was going to make something with these boozy cherries (20% alcohol to be exact).

Now, if you remember I may have mentioned, Vanessa and I are currently 8 months pregnant, so alcohol is a not on the menu, however used in cooking, we decided it was ok as the alcohol would be absorbed in the baking process, but still retain the kick. A big thank you to Nadene for the treats x

What is Kirsch?
Kirschwasser is a clear, colourless fruit brandy traditionally made from double distillation of morello cherries, a dark-coloured cultivar of the sour cherry. The cherries are fermented complete (that is, including their stones).

Boozy cherry, plum, and almond cake
Serves 6-8 (or 2 very pregnant woman!!!)

What you need
4 eggs
150g caster sugar
125g butter (soft)
300g almond meal (ground almonds)
50g flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 - 3 Black Doris plums (sliced)
2 Tbsp Boozy Cherries (I used Morello Cherries seeped in Kirsch from Schnappdragon) - you could also use blueberries, raspberries, or load it up with plums.

How to make
Set oven temp to 180C. Grease a 25cm quick release cake tin and line the base with baking paper (I cut baking paper into a circle and placed into the bottom of the tin). Beat eggs and sugar together until pale. Add butter. Fold in almonds, flour and baking powder. Scoop mixture into tin. Fan out plum slices around tin. Add boozy cherries between plum strips (up to you how many, I used 2 Tbsp). Bake for 35-40mins. Dust with icing sugar (optional). Serve with cream, greek yoghurt or marscapone.

Mum's Mango and Avocado Salad

2012-02-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

This salad is so refreshing, so easy and sure to be a hit at your next BBQ.

At the recent Pirate party our Mum Val turned up with the most amazing salad I have had in a long time. It was so refreshing and full of my favourite ingredients such as mango, avocado, coriander and lime. Mum doesn't usually bother with fussy and complicated food and she said that this was really easy. Her only problem was she couldn't find the "Thai fish sauce" at her local supermarket.
She said she found the recipe it in an old magazine and thought it sounded nice.

The following day I attempted to re-create it, a quick phone call to get the recipe ended up being a list of ingredients without quantities. No problem, I like to do it my way anyway!
The quantities are my version and as always "taste, taste, taste" to adapt it to suit. I do like things quite tart and zesty so you may want to cut back on the acid.

What you need
I 120g bag salad greens, mescalin, rocket or baby spinach
1 firm mango
1 firm avocado
Dressing
50mls vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
50mls lime juice
( I had a drama here because the bloody limes had no juice! I managed to get a minimal amount out of them and a bit of flesh but substituted it with regular white vinegar)
1 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
(Mum couldn't find it and I actually forgot it so I am going to say you actually don't need it but I have added it just in case you want to give it ago. The fish sauce will be the salt element. Despite loving salty food I don't think it's needed)
A hand full of chopped coriander
A hand full of chopped mint

Lay the mango and avocado on a bed of salad greens, mix all the dressing ingredients together and shake well. Drizzle over the salad and serve with a couple of wedges of lime.
Simple but perfect

Mango and Avocado salad

I used any additional dressing the following evening and made a basic lettuce, tomato and avocado salad, once again it was perfect especially served with a tasty scotch fillet steak.

Pirate Party Food

2012-02-13T01:54:00.000-08:00

Four years ago, our extended family was childless - Four years on there are three kiddies, with two on the way. All of them so far boys. I am having another boy and Ingrid wants a surprise, if Ingrid has another boy too, that will be five boys four and under - fun and games!!!

The kids having a ball with swords!!!

Our mum is a great organiser and loves to have fun. Christmas has featured a Santa Claus and helper for the last 3 years, clearly it's now extended to other family get togethers. The recent one was a pirate and fairy party - everyone was told what to bring and to dress up!
I was down for sandwiches and a salad. To be honest I was a bit over making sandwiches, having made them the last 2 weekends for kids get together so decided to do a kid friendly nibbles.
Wanting to keep things easy and healthy I opted for the following...
Meatballs
Potato and smoked fishballs
Maggi dip with cheesy sticks (not so healthy!)
Cheese and pineapple sticks

Perfect kid friendly food

Meatballs
Add to a bowl, 500g mince (I used beef), a few squirts of tomato sauce, a chopped onion and any leftover chutney/relish you have lurking in your fridge.
Add salt and pepper and a few tablespoons of flour to help bind it.
Roll into balls and place on grease proof paper. I put mine in the fridge overnight as I wanted to cook them on the day so they were still warm but you can cook them straight away.
Instead of frying them, I just baked them at about 180 degrees for about 15-20 minutes - EASY!

Smoked Fish Balls
Boil about 6 large Agria potatoes and mash with a generous dollop of butter. In a food processor blitz a couple of handfuls of smoked fish. You could use tinned tuna/salmon. Combine and add salt and pepper.
Roll into balls and then roll the balls in semolina. (or breadcrumbs)
Once again place on baking paper and bake in the oven. I baked them both at the same time and the fish balls really did crisp up without adding any oil!

Seriously easy party food

Maggi onion dip and cheesy sticks
If you are a kiwi or maybe an Aussie you will know this one. Its so easy and really delicious.
Mix in a bowl one tin of reduced cream, one packet of instant powdered onion soup and a tablespoon or two of either vinegar or lemon juice. Mix and chill. I served it with some crunchy cheesy sticks I found in an Asian supermarket. Make a double batch - this wont last long.

Cheese and pineapple sticks
A homage to the 80s, easy as, delicious in a naff kinda way but hey, its for the kids!!!
Place on a toothpick a cube of cheese (I used tasty) and a chunk of pineapple - that's it!
ridiculously delicious and moreish!

Kiwi onion dip - loved by everyone!

So give it ago, host a pirate and fairy party, dressing up compulsory and have fun with the kids. Great photos and fantastic memories...

Thanks Val Opera, Glenys Cannin and Charlotte Graydon for all the hard work with the decorating and organising - one to remember
XXX

Banana and Weetbix muffins

2012-02-03T01:04:00.000-08:00

I love it when you feel like doing a spot of cooking or baking and you have next to nothing in the cupboards, but you pile all the odd bits of this and strange end bits of that and somehow you have a recipe! This is what happened one weekend en route to a mum and bubs coffee group. I didn't have much time, so I always fall back on muffins as they are so easy to make and take only 12 mins to bake.

Best eaten when still warm, with melting butter.

The only trick to making muffins work (and I'm always learning the hard way) is NOT to over mix them - in fact you bearly mix the ingredients if you want them light enough not to break your molars.

So ripe(ish) bananas it is, and a few weetbix made a very nice combo for our morning tea. The only problem was, clawing my 2 year son away from them (He had four before I realised the crumbs around his mouth and the look of gluttony peering up at me). The pictures show the muffins before I took them to our morning tea, and before a little boy mouse had nibbled little scallop shapes around the top. Enjoy. Ingrid

Banana and Weetbix muffins

Makes 12

What you need

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup of sugar (brown, white or raw - whatever you got)

4 weetbix (crushed) or 1 cup bran

1 Tbsp golden syrup

1 Tbsp butter (or margarine)

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup milk

1 egg (beaten)

2 bananas (ripe, mash one) Slice up one banana for garnishing

Golden syrup for drizzling

How to make

Set oven temp to 220C.

Sift flour and salt into bowl, add sugar and weetbix.

Melt golden syrup and butter together. Dissolve baking soda into the milk, add beaten egg.

Mix wet ingredients together and add to dry ingredients. Mix only to combine. Don't over mix. Add mashed banana. Grease muffin tins and spoon mixture evenly. Add sliced banana to the tops and drizzle golden syrup. Bake in oven for 12 mins or until golden.

Stone Fruit Pie

2012-01-29T12:24:00.000-08:00

Summer loving and the trees are heaving with luscious treasures...

Peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots - stone fruits that are synonymous with summer. If you are lucky enough to have mature fruit trees or neighbours with tress loaded with fruit, the possibilities are endless.

My neighbour has plums but you have to be quick, firstly the birds get stuck in and with no sense of respect take a few pecks out of each plum. Secondly its the neighbours on the other side with their big blue bucket! I hope they drop off what ever treasure they are making...

I am loving these colour combinations

I took a trip to the local Asian market for my colourful array and for no more than $3.99NZD per bag picked up apricots, white peaches and nectarines. I guess with many things "use it or lose it applies" and this certainly applied for the apricots. I like my fruit crunchy, even on the sour side and once its ripened and gone soft it really doesn't appeal to me. Cooking with fruit is a fantastic way to use up fruit past its best by or even fruit fallen from trees. Apricots with pork or chicken, chutneys, fresh salsa, fruity sauces for ice-cream and smoothies, cakes, loaves, muffins, cup cakes and of course desserts.

Endless possibilities

My first attempt using stone fruit in a cake was OK, it was basically a carrot cake type mixture (oil not butter) and loaded with cinnamon and ginger. I cooked it in a cute paper cake mould BUT whilst watching "one born every minute" I totally forgot and it had about 15 Min's more time than it needed. Also I couldn't resist cutting into it to try so as far as blogging and photographing it - it just didn't happen!

Colourful, sweet and tart

My second attempt was a lot more successful...
I was asked to make a birthday cake for my partners mum as we were having a birthday BBQ, so using what I had in my fridge - stone fruit pie was my idea. to save time I bought a big 700gram tin of cooked apples and already had the pastry packets in my freezer. For the price and convenience, these are so handy!

The easiest pastry in the world

All I basically did was roll the pastry out and made it fit the base and sides of the spring form dish, mix the chopped stone fruit with a couple of generous tablespoons of brown sugar and mix it with the tinned apples. I used apples mainly because I thought the stone fruit alone was a little bit adventurous for my guests and to stretch it a bit further.

I lined the bottom of the pie dish BUT in hindsight - don't do this, there is no need with the buttery pastry and the wetness of the fruit and the paper didn't mix!

All that's missing is the icing sugar...

I used 2 packets of pastry and with the excess made some cute little jammy parcels. These were a hit with both the adults and kids alike - really easy and have that homemade feel to them. I used Ingrid's rhubarb jam from a previous post and it was perfect melted into the crunchy, buttery and sweet pastry.

Perfect for small hands and adults love them too

What you need

2 packets of shortcrust sweet pastry (I used Edmond's and its found in the freezer section)

Uncooked stone fruit - chopped up and of course stoned

1 tin (large 700grams) of cooked apples

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Spring form pie dish

How to make

Chop the stone fruit and mix with apples and brown sugar

Roll out the pastry and fit to the pie dish (I didn't blind bake BUT it may pay to do this?)

Put the fruit into the pastry and cover with a lid, strips of pastry or even a crumble topping.

Bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes - keep watching the pastry so it doesn't over brown. I put some tinfoil on the pastry edges to stop it browning whilst the rest of the top cooked.

Delicious with ice-cream

How to style food for a magazine

2012-01-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

Recently Vanessa and I were commissioned to style and take some photo's for a fabulous magazine called NZ Life & Leisure. Each year they put out a special title and this year it was The Insiders Guide to New Zealand showcasing NZ's top spots to visit for food, where to stay, people to meet and things to do . I thought it would interesting to share our experience and also one of the recipes from the day, that we tucked into with gusto.

THE BRIEF: To photograph four recipes (Kingfish Tartare, Kedgeree, Chargrilled Lamb Steaks with Smoky Capsicum Salsa and Avocado Salad) in a relaxed casual style making sure it was a good fit with the other recipes in the magazine (which were stock images from a variety of photographers and stylists) and also to compliment the colours used in each section of the magazine.

Words used were: Country style : relaxed : natural light : a little bit of depth of field (background blur): unstaged : unfussy

We were given pdf proofs of mockups of the magazine from the Art Director (which is virtually unheard of!) which gave us a great overview of the style and feel of the mag, and also the colours of each section (which were segmented by different places to visit in NZ)

What plates, cutlery and props to use? Our setups before the food arrived.

THE SHOOT:

We decided to keep it very simple, with muted colour and let the food be the focal point. We choose to shoot above if the food was quite flat, and we choose a 3/4 front on angle if the food could be piled high.

PROPS USED: Muslin cloth (great for creating a relaxed style, as the edges of the muslin roll up which create a nice subtle effect, old enamel plates - different sizes stacked on top of each other, old wooden boards, white painted wooden boards create a marine/ seaside feel to the shot especially good if your photographing seafood, red fry pan to compliment the capsicum salsa and to add colour as meat (Lamb steaks) can sometimes be quite dull. Lemons cut in different ways always add a freshness to a dish.

The recipes were supplied to us, so make sure you double check you have all the right ingredients showing in the photo. An avocado salad ain't an Avo salad if you forget the AVO!

CAMERA USED: Canon 550D - shooting in RAW and JPG - As the photos are retouched in house we supplied both RAW and JPEG files on disk to the Art Director with minimal retouching, only a bit of contrast. No sharpening.

SHOOTING FROM ABOVE: Used the standard kit lens 18-55mm. ISO: 100 f:11 We always had an aperture of 11 as this is the best aperture to have everything in focus.

SHOOTING FROM THE FRONT: Lens Used: 100m 2.8 ISO: 100 f:3.2 plus tripod

Kingfish Tartare: Old enamel plates and boards painted white add to the seaside theme.

THE PROCESS:
We choose two dishes each and shopped and prepared each one at our own house - cutting up chillies or chives, cooking rice - anything that could be made ahead of the shoot. We decided to shoot at Vanessa's house, on her front porch as it was a bright but overcast day - perfect for photographing food.

As Vanessa is definitely the better cook out of the two of us - she took over the cooking, and styling of the food whilst I went ahead and set up the different props and table settings, set up the camera, reflector board and tripod. It was a very simple setup, as the light was perfect. I did a white balance using a white card and holding it in frame and setting it in my camera, which I did at various times throughout the day as the light changed.

Mistakes made, lesson learned
We had some very 'blonde' experiences, and the wine wasn't even opened yet! We forgot the Avocado in the Avocado salad, we kept saying, 'what a weird looking salad', 'how bland', 'only broad beans?', 'not very appealing' and shot a few frames before it dawned on us what we had omitted. We also didn't realise that broad beans needed to be popped out of their shells - and again took a lot of frames with them looking grey and lifeless.

TIPS

Prepare your table settings prior to any food being cooked, set up your plate/ dish/ cutlery etc
Re read any recipe you are commissioned to style or photograph - if you forget anything important, your shoot is ruined!
keep it simple, less is more, always try to remove one item from your table setting and see if it improves the shot
Always refer back to your brief - there is a reason why you've been given it
Be decisive. Don't take truckloads of photos of the same setup. Take three at different apertures, and move on. You will appreciate it at editing stage.
Get it right in camera. Make sure your lighting is right and no random crumbs, spots or dribbles are showing. Again, you will appreciate at editing stage, not having to clone out horrible fingermarks you didn't remove when you could.

Best dish of the day: Thumbs up to Anna Tait - Jamieson (Life & Leisure's Food Editor) for creating this very exciting dish - a great blend of flavours and textures. We hope we did it justice in our photographs.

Kedgeree
Recipe extracted from The Insiders Guide to New Zealand

Serves 4
What you need:
milk to poach (about 2 cups)
500g smoked fish
2 tablespoons of butter
1 onion, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cream
2 cups cooked rice (1 cup raw)
1 tablespoon chopped chives
4 eggs
juice of 1 lemon

How to make
Bring milk to the boil in a large fry pan, reduce heat then add fish and poach gently for 3-4 min. Discard milk and when fish has cooled sufficiently, break into large flakes.
Clean out fry pan then saute onion, celery and garlic in butter until softened. Add ginger and spices, stir and cook for 1 minute then add cream.
Simmer for another minute before adding cooked rice and fish.
Heat through then add chives. Remove from heat and keep warm while poaching the eggs. Squeeze lemon juice over each serving and top with a poached egg.

Lasagna

2012-01-16T01:25:00.000-08:00

What a great feeling to have healthy and delicious meals waiting in your freezer

After 7 wet days camping with a super organised friend, my mission for 2012 is to attempt to have nutritious and delicious meals in my freezer for my son. We are both working mums and find the 5pm kids dinner hour a bit of a challenge. Over the holiday break there has been a lot of snacking going on, chips and dips, fish and chips, easy camp meals and of course ice creams and ice blocks. The kids have loved it, such a change from their regular healthy daycare lunches and snacks.

Both Ingrid and I are due to have second babies and be on maternity leave in about 10 weeks so the thought of life with two kids is quite daunting. An even better reason to get organised!

I have been reading a book called “Economy Gastonomy” by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merret. I bought it cheap somewhere and about a year later saw their show on TV. It’s a great read and a fabulous introduction in to being organised and stretching your dollar. It motivated me to start with basics like mince and tinned fish. My first creation was Lasagna, kids love pasta and adults can spice it up with a bit of Tabasco and crisp salad. A few things I discovered along the way…

Add a tin of beans (baked beans, chili beans, butter beans) , it makes the mince go further.
Ensure the lasagna has a far bit of liquid/wetness in the sauces, the pasta really does soak it up.
Add vegetables such as carrots, aubergines, courgettes, mushrooms, peas even a puree of vegetables – the kids will never know.

Make it fun for the kids!

The recipe I am giving you is not exact, its very forgiving and with a bit of planning is pretty easy to create an impressive dish.

What you need

Meat sauce

Mince 500g-1kg

Tinned chopped tomatoes x2

1 tub/tube tomato puree/concentrate/paste

Olive oil

Salt/pepper

1 onion

6 cloves of garlic (its really mild cooked)

1 tin beans

Vegetables – anything goes really

Cheese sauce

Butter

Milk

Flour

Tasty cheese or what ever leftovers you have in the fridge

Lasagna sheets OR any other pasta you have in your cupboard

Add cherry tomatoes for a splash of colour and vitamin hit

Firstly make the meat sauce.

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, add the mince and brown it. Then add the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and about a tin of water. Simmer uncovered for a while and you should notice the water evaporating and the sauce thickening. Add the vegetables and paste and simmer until they are soft. Finally add the beans. You will have to monitor the sauce by adding more water if needed or simmering for longer if not thick enough. Also watch the meat doesn’t catch the bottom of the pot. (keep tasting it and adding more salt if needed, you can even add a teaspoon of sugar to sweeten the tomatoes)

Whilst the sauce is simmering get stuck in and make the cheese sauce.

Now you need to make a roux, this is a mixture of flour and butter that acts a thickening agent. Melt about 2 large tablespoons of butter in a pot, add a similar amount of flour and mix to a paste. You may have to take off the heat if its cooking a bit fast. Add milk ½ cup at a time, only adding more when its thick. When you have the sauce to the consistency you need add the cheese – grated, cubes, chunks or leftover pieces. Set aside.

In an oven proof deep dish add a layer of lasagna sheets or dried pasta shapes. Add a thick layer of meat sauce, cheese sauce and more pasta. Keep repeating the process until you have nothing left. Basically you need to make sure the pasta has moisture to cook in from either sauces. It doesn’t really matter what you finish with as long as the pasta is covered with meat or cheese sauce. I also added some tomato slices on top at the end for a bit of colour.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes at about 200 degrees, you can usually tell if its cooked by putting a knife into it and it should pierce the pasta easily.

Let it cool down before you slice it and portion it up and put in to freezer suitable containers or tin foil. I used tin foil and the only disadvantage is you can’t defrost in the microwave if the tin foil sticks to the frozen lasagna.

Sit back, relax and enjoy knowing you have family dinner or kids portions waiting to impress.

Vanessa

Extras

I also made a fish pie, check out previous post, add a mash and cheese top, cool and chuck it in the freezer.

http://foodopera.blogspot.com/2011/02/smoked-fish-ans-greens-pie.html

Rice - yes you can freeze it, cook it and cool it fast by laying it our on to a baking tray. when cool bag it or put into containers and place in the coldest part of your freezer. Not the door or by the front.

Heat in the microwave ensuring its HOT!

Chicken and Asparagus Rolls

2012-01-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the weather has been pretty unpredictable, ok it's been absolute pants and summer ain't been showing it's face around here enough, but it's still hot (ok, muggy) and we have flys and ants taking over our house, so it got me thinking about picnic food, and bits of this and bits of that - all thrown together, food designed to mesh quite happily together. So this is the result of what I found in my cupboard one unpredictable wet summers day, when a picnic was made in the backyard just as a glimpse of sun broke through.

ALSO TRY: Lemon juice and ground peppercorns make a great rub on roast chicken

QUICK IDEA: If you don't have tortillas, just roll one asparagus spear and spread the chicken mix in a slice of fresh sandwich bread, and bake in the oven for a twist on asparagus rolls.

Lemon Pepper picnic tortillas
Serves 4

What you need:
Bunch of asparagus (4 per tortilla approx)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 x lemon
cracked peppercorns
2 tbsp butter
1 x onion (chopped finely)
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 Leftover roast chicken (ripped apart and chopped roughly)
4 x tortillas

How to make:
Prepare chicken

On a medium heat, add butter to a frypan, fry onion until soft, add flour to make a paste then add milk slowly, allowing to thicken. Add leftover chicken to heat through. Squeeze half the lemon and cracked peppercorns.

Prepare asparagus
Chop hard stalks off asparagus. Lay on a baking dish, drizzle olive oil, squeeze half the lemon and cracked peppercorns. Grill both sides. Remove from oven.

Assemble:
Set oven to bake 200 C. Bake tortillas for 3 mins, lay on a plate and spread chicken sauce mix down the middle. Add asparagus. Fold the bottom up then fold each side of the tortilla inwards and tie with a piece of string.

Xmas baking with kids!

2011-12-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

Easy chocolate chip cookie mix!

Christmas is a busy and expensive time. Like I said in the last post, there is nothing better than a (good) homemade Christmas present. When you have kids, there are many presents to buy, not just for them but for their teachers, daycare staff and friends.
My son loves to get involved in anything I am doing and cooking is no exception. Its always messy, pretty hectic and fingers crossed what we cook works out!
These cookies are really easy, in-fact I would say "no-fail". They are also the sort of cookie you can adapt and add what ever you want.

Really easy to make - Chocolate chip cookies

I bought chocolate buttons instead of chips because they were the cheapest at the time, in hindsight next time I would go for the chocolate chips as they look better. We did try crushing them up with a rolling pin but doing this with a nearly 4 year old boy - wasn't that successful!
Another tip is to make the cookies small, just a teaspoon full is all you really need. You will probably have to bake a few batches but they don't take long at all.

A great gift for daycare or kindy friends or even the teachers!

Now for the credits, the recipe came from "Alison Gofton, BAKE". The only change I made was adding real vanilla paste. You could add dried fruit, spices, nuts or white chocolate - really anything would work! It seems a really forgiving recipe meaning if you get the exact amounts a little wrong, it really shouldn't make a huge difference. If you have baked with kids you will know what I mean!
I plan to wrap them in cellophane with a ribbon and a hand stamped swing tag with either a name or Merry Xmas. I saw on Facebook that "OFFICE MAX" has the entire alphabet for about $30. I am going to hunt them down.

The book

Alysons Goffton toll house cookies

What you need

175 grams butter
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
2¼ cups flour (I used self raising and NO BP - worked fine)
1 tsp baking powder

2 cups chocolate chips

How to make

Beat the butter and sugars together until light and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour and baking powder evenly over the creamed mixture. Sprinkle over the chocolate chips and fold together.
Place heaped tablespoonfuls of mixture onto a greased baking tray, leaving room for the biscuits to spread.
Bake at 180ºC for 20 minutes or until the biscuits are beginning to lightly brown and are firm to the touch. Transfer to a cake rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Happy Baking

Vanessa

Xmas Fudge

2011-12-03T00:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas is for giving FUDGE!

I am a fudge fanatic, I love the stuff. Its strange because after dinner I am usually the one who opts for the cheese board BUT when it comes to fudge, I can't help myself.

I think it all started at intermediate school when I showed an interest in cooking. I would come home from school, raid the pantry for sugar, turn to the back of the Edmonds cookbook and make batches of chocolate fudge. Unfortunately it took a long time to perfect. There were many occasions when it didn't set and frustration would set in however I usually went back for round two if there was enough sugar left. Of course Mum would arrive home and the 1kg bag of sugar would be non-existent and there would be no fudge to show for it either...

Russian and chocolate fudge

Because of my fudge fascination, school fairs and street stalls would ignite my appetite. I would hunt out the homemade packages, buy a few and scoff the lot! Now I am a teacher at a school that has a regular school fair. The first year I jumped at the chance to make and sell the homemade sweet treats. I encouraged the students to make fudge and even sent home recipes. Pity though, many families are too busy to attempt making homemade sweets or deemed it too difficult. I was disappointed as lots of shop bought sweets rolled in!
The Russian fudge I made came from a friend Johanna who bought it along on a camping trip. OMG it was so good sitting outside on a balmy evening tucking into the huge chunks of heaven! She of course passed on the recipe which comes from another food blogger. Its a microwave fudge and probably the best no fail recipe I have tried.

Parcels of joy!

The other fudge recipe I made was a random one I found on the Internet but had chocolate and peanut butter for a change. It was the traditional one, made on the stove and had more bite ability than the creamy Russian one. Either way they both worked and tasted great. I ended up taking it all into work so I wouldn't be tempted...

Its important to keep a jar at home!

So the reason of this post of course is making edible gifts to give for the festive season.
The glass jars came from the warehouse ($2.99 each - so cheap), the clear bags and netting (wedding favours) came from spotlight as did the red noodle boxes.
Get creative and make some sweet fudge for your loved ones - its such a nice personal touch that is seriously dying out!

Russian microwave fudge
You will need

100g butter

1 cup white sugar

1 can (400g) sweetened condensed milk

1 tbsp golden syrup

2 tsp vanilla essence

How to make
In a microwave proof bowl (very large as the mixture rises up) add everything except the vanilla essence.
Microwave on high for 1 minute then stir, then for a further 2 minutes and stir.
Repeat this process until 10 minutes is up. (I actually did it for 12 minutes).
The mixture will darken in colour, if it hasn't zap it for a bit longer. Be careful as it can burn!
If you use a candy thermometer, it should be 120 degrees or you are looking for the soft ball stage when you drip it into cold water (I have never used a candy thermometer and the soft ball concept has never really worked for me)
When its done add the vanilla and beat with an electric beater for about 4 minutes. (It should lose its shine and start to thicken)
Pour onto baking paper that is in dish (anything will do, I used Tupperware)
Cut into cubes when nearly set and leave to cool.

Recipe from http://www.thinkingaboutfood.com/2008/02/fudge-and-coffee.html

Chocolate Peanut Fudge

What you need

2 cups white sugar

2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup milk
30g butter
2 tbsp peanut butter

How to make
In a med saucepan, stir together the suger and cocoa, combining so there are no lumps. Add milk, butter and peanut butter. Heat genlty, stirring constanly until ingredients have melted. Boil to the softball stage (about 7-10 min).

Stand to cool for a couple of minutes, then beat with a spoon until thick.Pour into a well greased sponge roll tin and set in fridge.

Recipe from http://www.chelsea.co.nz/baking-and-recipes/966/peanut-choc-fudge.aspx

Vanessa

Christmas sweet wontons

2011-11-18T00:04:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas mince pies! It almost an addiction, I'm always on the search for a good one - (Pandoro's Italian Bakeries, have the best one, in my opinion) and I eat them in a most peculiar way. I love them frozen! The pastry goes nice and hard and crunchy, whilst the fruit mince remains sticky (I suspect due to the alcohol content?). And I eat them, the same way each time, biting around the edges of the crust, taking the top off and eating it, before getting stuck into the sticky centre.

I've never had any inclination to make them, sometimes the process, especially a long one, can ruin my appetite - and I doubt I would have the patience to get through to the end. But I wanted to be creative and try out a new twist on my all time Christmas favourite. I'm also aware, at this time of year, that everybody seems time-poor! So this post is intended to be easy and all about the assembly.

Everything can be bought from your local supermarket (wonton wrappers from your local asian supermarket). However I did make the sauce from Boysenberry and Rhubarb Jam that I had made a little while ago but you could use store bought jam also. But the jam sauce is optional, they were delicious just as is.

What shape? I couldn't decide which shape worked best so I tried them all out - Triangles turned out the best, the stars weren't as successful - the fruit mince oozed out of the star shape. To make the stars work, I needed a bigger star cutter.

I love how Christmas and New Year gets everybody thinking about resolutions and new challenges for the coming year, so I thought it would be a nice touch to have some paper fortunes scattered around the plate.

I used brown parchment paper, and wrote wishes on them - I'm not a crafty person, so everything needed to be super easy. But you could go all Martha Stewart with this idea, using crinkle cut snips to cut the paper edges or cut the fortunes into Christmas shapes.

For the next five weeks, Vanessa and I are going to bring you all sorts of Christmas ideas - all simple and easy to make or assemble, and I promise nothing will be frozen! I'll keep that quirk to myself. Enjoy, Ingrid

Christmas fruit mince wontons
Makes 24
What you need
24 wonton wrappers (bought from your local asian supermarket)
200g Fruit mince (store-bought or homemade)
50g melted butter
icing sugar (to dust)

How to make
Preheat the oven to 180C and line a tray with baking paper.

Have a bit of fun and try out different shapes by laying out each rectangle of wonton wrapper, place a teaspoon of fruit mince, and see what shapes work out for you. An easy place to start is folding the wonton wrapper diagonally into a triangle, brush edges with melted butter and fold edges over pressing to seal in the fruit mince. Then brush the entire wonton with melted butter. Bake in oven for around 10mins or until golden and crunchy. Dust over with icing sugar to serve.

Jam sauce (optional)
1/2 jar of Store bought or homemade jam (any type)
water

How to make
Put the jam in a saucepan, add a tablespoon of water and simmer adding water until it becomes a sauce consistency.

Summer Dips

2011-11-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

I love dips especially in summer but has anyone noticed how one pot of gourmet dip bought at the supermarket doesn't go far? Its really easy to make your own and you can get creative at the same time and devise your own concoctions...
The first dip came about when I was heading to Ma and Pa's for "Guy Fawkes" night and didn't have a huge amount to contribute. Of course my parents don't mind but I always love taking something new for them to try. There was 3/4 of a tin of beetroot slices leftover from the good old "KIWI" burger (for those who don't know its basically a burger with beetroot, egg, cheese and pineapple as well as the other usual things) and a few gherkins as well as a tub of cream cheese. All I did was blitzed these things together with a touch of lemon juice and some chives from the garden and ended up with a pretty pink dip.

Beetroot and cream cheese dip with crunchy garlic Ciabatta

What you need
300gram tin of beetroot
2 big spoonfuls (tbs) of cream cheese
1 gherkin
Juice of 1 lemon
A few chives or coriander

How to make

Put everything into food processor and blitz until smooth

Serve with anything crunchy!

Hummus - the perfect picnic snack

Hummus is possibly the most popular dip in the chiller at the supermarkets in Auckland. Why? probably because its reasonably healthy as well as delicious. Its between $3.00NZD - $5.00NZD per tub and to be honest a tub doesn't go far if you like dipping. It's so easy to make at home, all you need is a food processor. Traditionally hummus has tahini (sesame paste) in it. I never buy it, never use it so improvised with sesame oil (just a dash) and it worked a treat!

Like with the beetroot and cream cheese dip you can get creative and add your own touch. I love spicy food and had a few jalapenos in the fridge so in they went.

Other ideas could be...
Baked pumpkin or Kumara (sweet potato)
Sun dried tomato
Wilted spinach leaves
Roasted carrot
Avocado

Jalapeno Hummus - addictive!

What you need
300gram tin chickpeas (drained)
Juice of 2 small lemons
2 cloves of garlic
4 tbs olive oil
a splash of sesame oil
4 jalapeno slices (optional)

How to make
Put everything into food processor and blitz until smooth
Serve with anything crunchy!

I ended up making a second batch of this dip because I ate so much of the first batch, there wasn't enough to fill the bowl for the images!
I also forgot the garlic the second time round (DUH) but am please to announce it still tasted great and full of flavour thanks to the lemon and jalapenos.
Get blending and blitzing this summer!
Vanessa x

Lemon and Marmarlade Cake

2011-11-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

With these kitchen basics at hand a cake is only moments away...

I often get the urge to cook/bake and feel like there is nothing in my cupboards. I looked through my recipe books and realised I didn't have coconut, almonds, cocoa, buttermilk, sour cream, cream cheese or even fruit needed in the recipes that caught my eye. OK so I had the basics, a BIG jar of homemade marmalade from the next door neighbours and a lemon tree. What can I create?

I couldn't resist including some of the lyrics to Lady Marmalade, first recorded by an all girl group called Labelle in 1974

Lemon cake seemed the obvious choice so scanned through the books to find one that looked moist.

Lemon syrup cake from the AWW (Australian Women's Weekly) book titled “COOK” PG 148 hit the mark and I decided to add the marmalade to the lemon syrup for a zesty moist finish.

It takes a lot of butter but I guess that’s what makes it moist!

Like the title says rich, syrupy and sticky - perfect with a cup of tea!

What you need

250g softened butter

1 tbs lemon rind (I added 2 maybe 3)

1-cup caster sugar

3 eggs

1 cup of buttermilk (I used regular)

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 cups self-raising flour

Lemon syrup

1/3 cup lemon juice

¼ cup water

¾ cup sugar

2 tbs marmalade

How to make

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease a pan with the removable sides (24cm)

Cream butter, sugar and lemon rind

Beat in eggs one at a time

Fold in milk, lemon juice and flour in t batches and spread into the pan. (I was cautious about over mixing)

Bake for about 50 minutes but do keep checking as I think I took mine out earlier.

Whilst its cooking add the syrup ingredients to a saucepan and simmer to reduce and thicken. It really doesn’t matter too much if your measurements are out, you just need to simmer until its thickened and stick. I wouldn’t advise reducing the sugar though.

When your cake is ready add a few deep holes into it with a knife pour the hot syrup all over – be generous.

Put the knife around the side of the cake tin and remove it before the syrup has time to stick.

Let it cool a bit before serving.

The amazing marmalade from the neighbours and Greek yoghurt to dress the cake

We ate it warm soon after cooking with thickened Greek yoghurt and it was delicious. I also ate it cold the next day and not to bad BUT microwaved a piece one night and had it with vanilla ice cream and that’s the way to go – eat warm!

Vanessa

(PS recipe method is written in my own words - not straight out of the book)

A salad with substance

2011-10-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

Grilled haloumi cheese: Don't grill the haloumi for too long as I did! It is so much better slightly gooey on the inside. Should only take a minute each side on a hot grill.

My house is being painted, so I've been lucky enough to be able to move myself and my son, into my Aunties pad, a stone's throw from Takapuna Beach on Auckland's North Shore. I feel like I've been on holiday, every night after dinner, I take Rhys down the beach, there is a swing that someone has hung from an overhanging tree and that is our place every night around 6p.m.

It's been two weeks now, and the painter is not quite finished, and I'm secretly glad, I'm quite happy to hang around here for a bit longer. I can't believe I left it so long to rediscover Takapuna, it really has changed from when I used to hang out here as a teenager, it's quite the place for eating good food and drinking coffee, (Try Mossimo - specially good for kids, has a playhouse and courtyard, Sal's New York Pizza - the pizza is served on a stand and Aubergine for a good steak).

If only I wasn't pregnant I would have been drinking a cold pint in the sun along Hurstmere Road so instead I keep myself going with a good ole Tip Top ice cream from the local diary at the top of the street.

I made this grilled salad quickly on a hot day, after being at the beach, when I didn't feel like anything heavy, but wanted a salad with substance. It did the trick. Enjoy, Ingrid

This is a great throw together salad for a barbeque

Grilled Haloumi and Eggplant with Lemon Basil dressing

Makes 2 salads as a main or 4 as a side

What you need
1 eggplant (cut into rounds)
Salt
500g haloumi cheese (1cm thick slices )
130g bag of salad greens (or a mix of lettuce and spinach leaves)
1 lemon (juice of)
4 Tbsp Olive oil (and a bit extra for the hot plate or pan)
Small bunch of basil (chopped roughly)
Pepper

The perfect salad for vegetarians, blokes and bbq's.

How to make
Sprinkle salt on both sides of the eggplant rounds and leave in a colander for 30mins until the salt draws out the water. Make dressing by mixing the juice of one lemon, olive oil and pepper to taste in a bowl and set aside. Pat eggplant rounds dry with paper towel. In a salad bowl add salad greens.

Place eggplant rounds on a bbq hot plate (lightly oiled) or under the grill until they become soft and golden brown. Grill both sides. Place haloumi slices on lightly oiled hotplate or lightly fry in a pan on the stove top and grill for a minute each side until golden. Roughly rip each eggplant round and add to salad bowl. Cut haloumi slices in half and add to bowl. Coat salad with dressing. Add chopped or torn basil, and mix through the bowl. Serve.

A twist on classic French onion soup

2011-10-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Onions cheap and cheerful and make a delicious soup

I was in the mood for cooking something savoury. I find making stock and soups really therapeutic and relaxing however there wasn't much in my fridge. I have spent the last few days looking at a wilting aromatic celery that was left over form a "Life and Leisure" foodie shoot (yes a bit of name dropping here) and decided to make use of it. I looked around and the only other thing that would work was onions. Sprouting onions are better than no onions.

I love French onion soup, I love the sweetness, the cheesy croutons on the top and the sherry/Cognac/brandy kick. I though I would try a take on this classic dish and combine the onions with the celery and add a dash of milk/cream at the end to give it that creamy warmth.

A satisfying and economical meal made from nothing!

What you need
Oil or butter (I used both)
About 6 large onions
1/2 a celery
2 chicken stock cubes
About 1 - 2 litres of water
Salt/pepper
A handful of chopped Spinach
1/2 cup cream or milk
Parsley garnish

Healthy other than the cheesy toast!

How to make

Put the oil and butter in a pot

Add the finely chopped onion and celery and saute until soft

Add the crumbled stock cubes and add water to double the volume in the pot (roughly)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer for 30 mins or so until you have a nice flavour and the soup has thickened a wee bit.

For the last 5 mins add the chopped spinach, this just need to wilt

Lastly add either cream or milk to give it that creaminess

Garnish with chopped parsley

Serve with cheese and chutney on toast

Enjoy - its something made from practically nothing!
Vanessa

Grapefruit granita

2011-10-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Organic grapefruit straight from the tree

Summer is just around the corner, I took my pasty white legs and sad looking chipped toenails out for a walk in the weekend, I got rid of my black winter uniforms and put the brights to the front of the wardrobe. I ignored the rain, that changed the venue for my son’s 2nd birthday party, I blanked out the downpour that prevented me going for my usual lunchtime walk. I decided it was summer in my little world and I was going to carry around my big oversized sun above my head and I was going to make Grapefruit Granita.

So, if like me, your desperate for summer right now, try this icy dessert or go Italian and have it with brioche for a traditional breakfast.
Other flavours to try: lemon or lime juice, mandarin oranges, jasmine, coffee, almonds, mint, strawberries, berries, chocolate, watermelon, pomegranate, mango. I even found a recipe for ginger and fennel.

I also put some of the liquid into ice cube trays for summer cocktails

Grapefruit Granita
What you need
2 1/2 cups grapefruit juice
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup white sugar
grapefruit zest for garnish

How to make
Combine juice, water and sugar in a bowl and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Place bowl in freezer, cover with cling film and freeze until hard. (2-3 hours) Use a fork to scrape and break up the frozen ice to turn into a granita. Serve in chilled glasses or bowls. Granish with grated grapefruit zest.

Asparagus two ways one healthy one NOT!

2011-10-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

Perfect for spring

Spring is finally here. The sun is out, school holidays are underway and I am anticipating most of the foodie magazines will be featuring asparagus so thought I would get in quick to share two of my favourites recipes. The first one stems from lazy mornings, pre kids tucking in to eggs Benedict (eggs drowning in hollandaise sauce) and the second one is a dish our dad prepares when ever he gets his hands on asparagus or spinach. One is very healthy, you can eat it till the cows come home, the other however probably requires a week omitting butter out of your diet to cancel the effects!
Whatever your poison, give them ago. They look great, don't take up much time and are really easy.

If you love hollandaise in a cafe, best you don't find out whats in it, it's seriously decadent!

I have to admit, I had never made hollandaise sauce before. I have eaten enough of it but always dismissed it as being to time consuming and with the potential to not work. Writing this blog has definitely taken us out of our comfort zone and made us try new things out. This sauce is super easy. I found it in a book called "Brunch, the perfect treat" by Jennifer Donovan.
Usually Ingrid and I adapt, change and make up the recipes but for something like hollandaise, I wasn't about to even try. I have however added more lemon than the recipe suggested, as I like mine with more zest. (you could even use limes)

The only thing you really need to make this is a food processor or you could try your blender, that should work as well.

Asparagus Spears with Hollandaise Sauce

What you need
2 bunches of asparagus

3 egg yolks

200grams butter (YES this is not a TYPO)

White pepper (ground not cracked)

Juice form one l lemon (more or less, just taste

How to make

Add the 3 egg yolks to the food processor or blender with the pepper and blend for a few seconds

Melt the butter in a small pan until its bubbling (be careful not to burn it!)

Gradually and in a steady stream whilst the machine is on pour in all of the butter.

Lastly add the juice of the lemon.

The recipe actually says add some warm water if its too thick, mine was just perfect so I didn't need to.

Serve warm over lightly steamed/microwaved asparagus. I microwave mine (1-2 bunches of thin stalks for about 3 minutes)

Warning - this is addictive, whilst doing this photo shoot my finger was in the bowl many times!

The next dish is the total opposite, refreshing and lite on the calories. It looks great, is always eaten up at a BBQ.

Fresh and healthy - always gets eaten at a BBQ!

Zesty Asparagus and Egg Salad
What you need

2 bunches of asparagus
2 lemons
2 generous splashed of olive oil
2 boiled eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make
Hard boil the eggs
Blanch, steam or microwave the asparagus
Cool under cold water
Arrange on a plate - tips facing the same way
Squeeze the lemon juice over the asparagus followed by the oil
Cut the boiled eggs into quarters and arrange
Season with salt and pepper.
Chill before serving

Tip - this recipe can be used with steamed spinach or silver beet. Just make sure you squeeze out any excess water from the cooking process before you dress it.

Vanessa

My giant jam sandwich

2011-10-10T00:48:00.000-07:00

Vanessa and I recently decided to stop our fortnightly food fight challenge (choosing the same ingredient, and each posting our own creation every fortnight) as we thought once a fortnight was way too long to wait, the food blogging world moves so quickly, we didn't want anyone to forget about us! So starting from last week's fish post from Vanessa, the plan is to choose seasonal ingredients and do weekly posts, so we have new recipes and inspirations (hopefully) each week to try. That's not to say, the food fight is over, I intend to try and out-cook Vanessa with each post, isn't that what little sisters are for? Ingrid

This week I chose rhubarb, mainly because my neighbour, fellow blogger Johanna Cotter, who is a vege growing superstar, has a garden like an organic supermarket, and being her mate, I'm very privileged to get any fruit and vege that she can't use.

I also photograph her blog and last week she made Rhubarb Crumble Muffins (recipe below), which were duly accepted as a thank you for my hard work (hmmm, it's no hard work on my part, imagine hanging out for a day with a friend, who makes you laugh hard, whilst she cooks up a storm and lets you test all her creations, it's a pretty cushy number!)

Johanna Cotter's Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 12

This recipe is a lovely combination of dessert and baking, meaning you can enjoy it for both dessert or with a cup of coffee for morning or afternoon tea

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour
3/4 C Sugar (I like raw sugar, you could use white or castor)
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 eggs
100g butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup milk
Juice and rind of 1 lemon

2 cups stewed rhubarb

1 stalk fresh rhubarb, cut into small pieces

Crumble Topping

½ cup flour

½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup soft brown sugar

Pinch of cinnamon

50g butter, melted

To stew rhubarb

1.Chop rhubarb into small pieces and place in a saucepan with the juice and rind of a lemon and 2 large tablespoons of castor sugar.
2. Cover rhubarb with water and bring to the boil.
3. Cook until the rhubarb breaks up.

4. Remove from heat and strain through a sieve to remove the excess liquid. Add more sugar if still to sour at this point.

5. Set aside to cool

Heat oven to 180 degrees. Grease 12 muffin tins. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl and add sugar. Stir gently to combine.

In another bowl combine eggs, melted butter, milk, vanilla and lemon juice and rind. Whisk to combine then add wet mixture to dry ingredients. Fold together until they are just combined, then half full muffin tins. Add a teaspoon of the rhubarb to the centre, and top with remaining mixture.

Combine dry topping ingredients and add enough melted butter to combine, then sprinkle over muffins. Add a couple of pieces of leftover rhubarb to the top of each muffin.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden.

Recipe extracted from Johanna's Blog

What about that sandwich?

I liked the idea of making a Jam. I've never ever done it before, I always put it in the same category as making a wedding cake. It's seemed time-consuming, something I don't ever seem to have. But when I was thinking about what I was going to make I really felt like smearing some jam on a doorstopper slice of fresh white bread, (this might be, in part, due to early pregnancy) and I couldn't get it out of my head, so Jam it has to be. So here goes....an amateur jam maker takes her first step.

Rhubarb has inspired a number festivals around the world. The one that took my fancy was the Whoop-Up Days and Rhubarb Festival in Conrad, Montana. You take in a rodeo whilst eating rhubarb pies. Yum!

Normally, I end up having to remake a lot of my recipes or as the experts say, triple test, as I tend to think I can walk before I can crawl. I'm always adding or reducing ingredients, when I haven't even tried out the original. I just can't help myself, and my jam making wasn't any different. Thankfully, it seems to be quite forgiving to my creative experiments.

Making jam was pretty easy, however I did burn my pot, and no amount of scrubbing or hot water seems to be resurrecting it (so don't have your element on high, medium heat is fine as long as its bubbling away). I was also blown away by the amount of sugar - sometimes being ignorant when your smearing jam on your toast for breakfast, is how I want to be. But sugar never-the-less, is what you need to make jam, and lots and lots of it. But I was really impressed with the results, and I plan to try out some more soon, I'm thinking grapefruit marmalade.

Do you remember the children's book The Giant Jam Sandwich?

Rhubarb, Ginger and Lemon Jam

Takes around 40mins

Makes five to six jars

What you need

800g rhubarb (chop stalk into small chunks, discard leaves as they are toxic)

650ml water - this makes for a sticky thick jam, add more water for thinner consistency.

1.5kg sugar

2Tbsp root ginger (grated or squeezed through a garlic press)

1 lemon (juice and grated rind)

How to make

In a large pot, add rhubarb and water. Boil covered for 10mins until rhubarb softens. Add sugar, stir to dissolve. Boil on medium heat until setting point. Add ginger and lemon and stir through. My jam took 35mins. I tested it by putting a plate in the freezer for five mins, then adding a spoonful of jam, and putting back in the freezer and seeing if it sets. Skim foam off the top. When cool, pour into jars.

When Vanessa tried this jam, she wanted to put it on crackers with blue cheese, so use this jam for savoury and sweet.

This jam is great added to sweet short pastry parcels, check out http://www.foodopera.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/stone-fruit.html

Boysenberry and Rhubarb Jam

Takes 50mins

Makes five to six jars

What you need

800g Rhubarb (chop stalk into small chunks, discard leaves as they are toxic)

500mls water

1 can of boysenberries (425g)

1.5kg sugar

How to make

In a large pot, add rhubarb and water. Boil covered for 10mins until rhubarb softens. Add boysenberries, and sugar, stir to dissolve. Boil on medium heat until setting point. My jam took 35mins. I tested it by putting a plate in the freezer for five mins, then adding a spoonful of jam, and putting back in the freezer and seeing if it sets. Skim foam off the top. When cool, pour into jars.

This jam wasn't as thick as the rhubarb, ginger and lemon, I'm guessing because it had more water content with the can of boysenberries, but the berries gave it a beautiful rich crimson colour, and it had the more traditional jam flavour. Enjoy, Ingrid

Hobsonville Farmers Market

2011-10-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

A few Sundays ago we decided to head to Hobsonville point in Auckland to check out the farmers market. It was a bit of a drizzly day but with nothing else planned and a busy 3 year old, we had to get out. I had been to the area before doing a 10km fun run (Runway challenge) and knew the area but had never been to the market.

History of the area

In 1924 Hobsonville was chosen by the government as a site for both land and sea based aviation. The Landing, a key feature of the site, was constructed in 1928 by hand and horse-drawn scoops. An access road, slipway and jetty were constructed in 1929.

By the 1930s, the land airstrip was too short for larger planes and Hobsonville eventually became a repair and equipment facility. The base has also since that time provided housing and support facilities for the nearby Whenuapai airbase.
In 2001 the NZ Defence Force began the gradual relocation of its operations from Hobsonville.

(Taken from http://www.hobsonvillepoint.co.nz/about-the-point/history/)

Now, Hobsonville Point is fast becoming a purpose built housing development area for mid to high priced houses equipped with a cafe, playground, coastal track and of course the farmers market. The houses are compact, mostly two story and with minimum outdoor lawn/garden. This seems to be the way of living in New Zealand now, gone are the days of a quarter acre section, gone too are the days of having the time to tend to the garden and lawn. Saying this if I lived in Hobsonville I wouldn't mind as there is lots of space and flora extremely close by...

An overcast day but perfect to blow away the cobwebs

What a bonus, the market was undercover, even better it was in a large enclosed barn like building. When we arrived we could smell crispy mussel fritters simmering away and a waft of strong roasted coffee. Perfect!

The set up of the stalls is around the perimeter and a few rows in the middle. There was lots of space to walk around, even with buggies, kids and scooters. Dogs had to camp outside!

This beautiful dog was guarding the entrance but secretly dreaming of what was inside...

I actually expected the market to be full of fruit, vegetables and herbs but discovered that yes there were a couple of stalls, most of the market was delicious foodie creations. There was fish, meats, sausages, jams, chutneys, baked goods, flowers, sushi, homemade lemonade, coffee, cheese, pies, langos (Hungarian bread puffs with toppings), olive oil, flavoured salt, fritters and even curry made on the premises.

What a welcome!

We started the day with coffee and a donut for Jake, not the best breakfast for him but when you have a 3 year old that isn't a great eater in the mornings, you settle for almost anything. Lewis whipped back in to buy a mussel fritter whilst I supervised the sugary and jammy mess about to happen...

Finger lickin good - I got to finish it!

Looking around the markets with a 3 year old is hard work, we were forever avoiding collisions with others and had to have eagle eyes to avoid disaster so I suggested Lewis took Jake to the playground while I meandered around getting a few pics. Ahhhh Perfect solution!

Photographing when there are lots of unknown people around can be challenging! I didn't want to be intrusive and was very aware of peoples privacy BUT was desperate to get my lens in to all the delicious food. I was using our NEW 100mm Canon Macro lens so looked the part although was pretty green using it! It made the camera heavier and the focusing a bit tricky when not using a tripod so the first few frames were a disappointment. The lighting was also a challenge because shooting at 100ISO/ASA and a low aperture created blur! I cranked up the ASA/ISO to 400 and played around till I got it right or at least until I was happy.

A perfect breakfast finished off with a takeaway coffee

You cant go past coffee at farmers markets and just recently preggers, I have been on the decaf with the odd regular coffee. In fact once I got over the initial detox few days (Oh the headaches) I didn't crave coffee like I used to. I still love the idea of sitting in a cafe, car or walking around a market with my steamy takeaway cup of aromatic coffee. This particular morning I very keen to fulfill the pre-pregnancy coffee addiction. There were a couple of places selling great coffee as well as the cafe Catalina, across the way. The thing that excited me the most however was the sign that said "Coffee Sacks $3". Not really having a use for them, I bought 2 and gave one to Ingrid. maybe one day they will feature in one of our blog posts or like the sign also said "A great mat for your pets". My lucky cat Saoirse (Irish for freedom)

A perfect present a bag of fresh coffee with a bunch of flowers

Boy did I miss out on the samples!

Pregnancy definitely had its challenges. Walking around the markets and avoiding the samples is just one of them. On offer were all sorts of delicious looking meats and cheeses as well as salmon, dips and chutneys.

My stomach was rumbling (It does this all the time now) so lunch was a couple of pies. Now Kiwis are precious about their pies - they love the things. I am partial to them and enjoy when I indulge but don't usually seek them out. I bought a Thai chicken for me and a butter chicken for the lads. The Thai chicken was to die for, my only disappointment was I only bought one!

Unfortunately no pics of the pies, they were too good to stop and shoot!

So to wrap it all up I recommend the farmers market at Hobsonville Point, its convenient to get to, undercover, spacious and with lots of parking. Take your walking shoes and combine it with the coastal walk or let the hubby look after the kids at the playground and chill out at the market.

Vanessa

Something Fishy

2011-09-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

If only we caught it ourselves...

Fishy facts

Fish have been on the earth for more than 450 million years and were well established long before dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Fish is a good source of protein, low in saturated fat, and filled with omega-3 fatty acids which are good for the heart and brain.
Populations that eat fish regularly live longer and have less chronic disease than populations that do not.
Recent research suggests that supplementing the diet with omega-3 fatty acids not only can reduce these risks but can also help treat depression, bipolar disorder, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Fish is, indeed, a brain food.

We have been shooting, eating and posting images to our flickr site in the hope that we can tap into photo libraries and publications buying our images. We realised if New Zealand based companies wanted our images we needed more New Zealand stuff which is why we decided to tackle fish for this food fight.

We are blessed to live very close to beaches both East and West coast and and you would think that fish would be plentiful. Fish is of course available, however New Zealand fish is expensive. A fish we remember as kids and our parents too is Snapper. Our Mum remembers her father after work taking the dingy out and catching a bucket load for dinner. Today its a day event, usually chartering a boat for a hefty fee and there is never the guarantee of anything never mind the prime snapper.

Snapper used to be de rigure at the fish n chip shop, now is the premium option battered or crumbed for a tidy $6-8 dollars per piece. Snapper fillets are usually $30 - $35 dollars per kg! Maybe chartering the boat isn't such a bad option!

Whenever Ingrid and I come up with an idea we are both itching to get started. With work and kids its often difficult so when I decided to drive tired Jake around the place looking for the perfect fish to shoot I opted for the most convenient option, a gourmet supermarket en route home. At the local mega supermarket the previous weekend, I noticed lots of interesting types of fish both whole and fillets so thought a gourmet supermarket will also stock the range however the price will be ridiculous.

How wrong was I! They had fillets of white fleshy fish, large tiger prawns, Morten bay bugs, scampi, fish roe, salmon, oysters and even paua. Where were the ice-trays of glistening and shiny whole fish?

Me: 'Have you got any whole fish?"

Fishmonger: "HUH whole fish, we don't usually do whole fish here"

Me: "What, why not?"

Fishmonger: "You are on the North Shore love, the people here want fillets"

Fishmonger: " Its your lucky day though, we have a few baby snappers if you want them"

Me: "Are they fresh?" (I laugh at this question as of course he's going to say yes even if its not!"

Fishmonger: "Yeah, they came in this morning" (I am thinking where from?)

He shows me 2 baby snapper barely legal size

Me: "OK just one please"

Me: " Make it 2, I feel sorry for the one left behind"

So I walk out of the shop with 2 baby snapper in a fancy gourmet supermarket bag and $20 lighter in the pocket and a grizzly child.

The plan - early to bed for Jake so I can cook, shoot and eat.

Fresh snapper

Grilled baby Snapper Asian style

Asian style snapper

What you need

Whole fish, gutted and scaled (1 per person or a large one for the table)

Olive oil

Sea salt

Fresh lemons

Coriander

Oyster sauce

Seasoning - I added a touch of chili and lime store bought seasoning

How to make

Score the fish on both sides (deep cuts) This makes it look good, shortens the grilling time and gives you a look in to see if its cooked.

Place on baking paper and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning/salt.

Turn the grill on and when its hot cook the the fish for about 5 mins on a tray close to the element.

When its brown and cooked through, gently turn and do the same to the other side.

When cooked, transfer to serving plates and squeeze lemon juice on to the fish, drizzle with oyster sauce and sprinkle with chopped coriander.

Suggestion -You could warm the oyster or soy or chili sauce and serve as condiments on the side.

How to eat

Eat one side first, off the bone but be careful of the small bones. When done remove the entire bone and discard and start on the second side. If you are game like Lewis, tuck into the head too!

Before and After - be careful of the bones!

A cabbage a day keeps the doctor away

2011-09-18T00:04:00.000-07:00

It's true! Cabbages have such high vitamin and nutrition levels – it can help regulate blood pressure, can treat stomach ulcers, it can even lower the risk of lung cancer in smokers and most importantly it has strong anti- ageing properties. We should be eating a cabbage a day to keep the doctor away.

Cabbage facts - you might just want to know

Juicing cabbages and drinking the resulting liquid apparently can aid in the cure of stomach and intestinal ulcers. (Note: If this in any way appeals I would also add apple juice)
If you want to reduce your risk of cancers such as colon, rectal or breast cancer, experts state you should be eating cabbages frequently (at least weekly).
Cabbage is high in vitamin C and beta-carotene which act as anti-aging agents. It’s claimed that if you want to look young and stay looking young you need to consume cabbage every single day. (Note: Farts)
Its vitamin D content also promotes glowing skin, and its anti-inflammatory properties can reduce pimples and skin irritations.
Two minutes walking is all it takes to burn off the calories in one cup of cabbage.(Note: Like you would bother trying to work off cabbage, so sit down, relax and enjoy some lunch)

There is not much this ‘poor man’s drug’ can’t do.

Ingrid's dish: Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw

I can just imagine you’re all racing out to pick up a great big load of cabbages now, and that’s exactly what I did en route for a weekend away to Pakiri, a beautiful rugged beach, 120 mins north of Auckland, you can’t go there and not have a bbq, regardless of the weather. So with the blokes with one eye on the Rugby and the other on the Barbie, Vanessa and I got stuck into making some fresh slaws for our first bbq of the season.

Apples are another favourite of mine, they are in season and crunchy, they signal spring is here. They go so well with red cabbage, contrast with the colour, and the flavours blend well. And of course, apples also have their own health benefits to enjoy. This is such a simple salad to throw together, and it makes a nice light change from coleslaw usually weighted down with mayonnaise.

Fresh and crisp, a healthy alternative to a mayonaise based slaw

Red Cabbage and Apple Slaw

Serves 4

What you need

2 x Apples (grated or sliced thinly)

1/2 red cabbage (shredded thinly)

Bunch of flat leaf parsley (chopped roughly)

(Note: Remember to keep your cabbage cold, it helps to retain its vitamin content.)

Apple dressing

What you need

1 grated apple (fine grate)

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

3 Tbsp Rice Wine or White Wine Vinegar

1/2 lemon (squeezed)

Pinch of brown sugar (takes the tartness away)

Pepper to taste

How to make

In a food processor, pulse all ingredients for about 30 secs. If you don't have a food processor (I didn’t , as I was away from home), just grate apples on the finest grate and mix.

Assemble

Put salad ingredients in a bowl, adding the grated apple just before serving (so it doesn't go brown). Work through the dressing, coating all the salad ingredients.

Vanessa's dish: Warm Cabbage and Bacon Salad

Cabbage, I love the stuff. Like Ingrid said its a great diet food BUT the challenge is making it irresistible and tasty. I guess people have memories of boiled cabbage all washed out and soggy.

Thankfully my memories of cabbage are of coleslaw's at summer barbies or Dad eating his German sausages with sauerkraut. As an adult I have discovered the Asian influence adding cabbage and it many varieties to stir fries. It really makes a meal go further, is low fat and very very tasty!

Garlic and cabbage are a match made in heaven. The recipe below is easy, really moreish, a great side dish or even a weekend lunch with crusty bread and beer.

Warm Savoy Cabbage and Bacon Salad

Warm Cabbage and Bacon Salad

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

You will need

1/2 Savoy cabbage (or regular)

Olive oil

4 cloves garlic

1 onion

1 cup of chopped ham or bacon

2 Tbsp wholegrain mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 fresh lime for garnish and a bit of zest

How to make

Roughly chop the cabbage

Slice/dice the onions

chop the garlic cloves

In a large pan or wok saute the garlic and onions until soft

Add the cabbage and stir fry until wilted. (It may look like a lot of cabbage but it reduces when it wilts)

Add salt, pepper and mustard and stir through.

Place in a serving dish.

In the same pan add more oil and quickly cook the bacon or ham until crispy.

Toss through the cabbage.

Place back in the serving dish and serve with half a lime per person for garnish.

Enjoy

Vanessa X

My little lemon tree

2011-08-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

My little lemon tree is a real survivor. When I planted my tree some five years ago, it was placed in a hole strewn with old roots, in a garden that has major drainage issues, and all through winter my little lemon tree has sat in it's very own swimming pool. It really has fought hard to establish itself. It's first year it produced one hard lemon, then nothing the following two years. But this year, little suns popped up in the corner of my garden, and lifted my spirits. The only problem was I had to swim across the lawn to get them. So this food fight is in celebration of my tough little lemon tree and soggy Ugg boots. Enjoy Ingrid

Vanessa's dish
Lemons are abundant this time of year, so much so that they are often left rotting under swelling lemon tress. Such a shame. I have one such tree next door and every year its bursting at the seams and it appears its only me collecting the rewards. Usually its either for lemon and honey drinks, a squeeze or two over fish or to look fresh and inviting in a big glass bowl on my dining table.

Lemons add a touch of summer to a long winter

For our 11th food-fight I pondered with the idea of something sweet and zesty but the trouble is I always lick the spoon and spend a couple of days scoffing the treat!
I have just started a 10 week challenge at the gym and because I have low willpower when it comes to food, I have opted to use the lemons in a savoury dish. To zoosh it up a bit so its not just adding a squeeze to a dish I have attempted homemade fresh pasta.

Fresh homemade fettuccine - delicious

Fresh pasta is actually pretty easy to make, not much can go wrong with the dough. Rolling it out takes a bit of getting used to but its worth the effort. The trouble I had was the dough/pasta sticking together after I placed it onto a plate - even with extra flour. (any suggestions - please comment)

What amazes me, is the cost of fresh pasta in the supermarket, like with my cheese making its not actually the ingredients that adds to the cost, its the process and the time - home made pasta is in this category. But once prepared, cooking it is a breeze and it lasts for about 3 days in your fridge.

Homemade pasta with lemons, capers and olive oil
You will need
500grams flour
4 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
Water to mix

How to make the pasta dough
In a bowl (or on the bench) measure out the flour. Add the eggs and olive oil to a well in the centre and mix them up taking a bit of flour from the sides of the well. Keep doing this until its coarsely mixed.
Add a bit of water to make it into a smooth dough. Knead Knead Knead for about 10 minutes. You will need to add flour as you go along to stop it becoming sticky. When you have kneaded it for 10 minutes, wrap it in glad wrap and put it in the fridge while you make the pasta sauce.

Pasta sauce
you will need about...
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup capers
Salt and pepper to taste

2 chopped tomatoes

1 chopped onion

6 cloves of garlic (depending on how garlicky you like it)

Shrimps or prawns (shelled or not)

Saute the onions and garlic in a little oil until soft, throw in the chopped tomatoes and capers and briefly cook. Add the oil and lemon juice and heat through. Finish with salt and pepper and chopped coriander or basil.

Now its time to roll out the pasta.
If you have a pasta maker, put small flat balls through the non blade rollers and keep thinning the dough by reducing the width of the rollers. When it's about 2-3mm thick, feed it through the fettuccine rollers. If you don't have a pasta maker, you can just use a rolling pin and a knife - it might even be easier. Apparently you can roll up the thinned dough into a tube shape and cut through so you get long ribbons.
My tip is to constantly add flour to prevent sticking and avoid the spaghetti rollers as I found them too small and the dough kept getting stuck.

Boil a large pot with salty water, I heard Ray McVinnie on NZMasterchef say it needs to be as salty as the sea. When its boiling, add the fresh pasta and cook until al dente or firm to the bite. Approx 5 minutes. Whilst this is cooking reheat the lemon and oil sauce and sauté the shrimps briefly in their own pan. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add the lemon sauce then toss through the shrimps. Serve with chopped herbs. Bellissimo!!!

Fettuccine with lemon, capers and shrimp - simple and fresh

Confession - during the final photo shoot I headed to Ingrid's house with everything and the kitchen sink but arrived and realised I left the pasta sitting on my kitchen bench! GUTTED! Time wasn't on my side so I raced to the supermarket to get store bought pasta for the shoot and our lunch! When I arrived home hungry and Jake was in bed I feasted on my own fresh pasta, sauteed frankfurters, store bought pasta sauce fired up with chili and capers.

All I can say is totally satisfying and delicious - I will be making my own pasta again!
Vanessa

Ingrid's dish

I was so impressed with candied lemons, sticky and gooey and sweet but still with the tartness. I would also recommend using them on top of a cake (lemon or vanilla), with the sticky sweet lemon juice dripping down the sides - no need for any icing.

Lemons were more successful than limes, the limes skins were tough whilst the centres disintegrated.

Lemon and lime tart with candied lemons

What you need
Pastry

125g butter (cold, and cut into cubes)
100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

1 x egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon zest (grated finely)

250g (2 cups) flour

How to make
In a food processor, blitz the butter and sugar until just combined. Add beaten egg, vanilla and zest, lightly mix. Add flour and process until crumbly. Don't over mix. Should only need a few seconds. Knead lightly on a floured surface, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30mins.

Roll pastry on floured surface until large enough to fit loosed based flan tin 24cm. Grease tin. Lift pastry into tin. Press into sides. Trim edge. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 30 mins.

Preheat oven to to 200C or 180C fan forced oven. Remove plastic wrap, and line with foil, making sure the foil goes over the edges. Add rice or beans for blind baking. Blind bake for 10mins. Remove rice or beans and foil and bake for another 5 mins. Reduce oven temp to 160C / 140 fan forced. Let cool.

Lemon and lime zest filling

What you need

5 eggs (3 whole, 2 yolks only)

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 x lemon (juice) approx 50mls plus zest

1 x lime (juice) approx 50mls

200mls cream

50g butter (melted)

How to make

Whisk eggs, yolks and sugar until creamy. Add cream and melted butter. Mix in lemon and lime juice and lemon zest. Whisk. Pour into cooled pastry.

Bake for 40 mins until filling has set. It should have a slight wobble in the centre when ready. Cool.

Candied lemons

What you need

1 1/2 cup of caster sugar

2/3 cup water

3 lemons (sliced thinly) (My candied limes weren't so successful, so just stick to lemons.)

How to make

Put sugar and water in a pot on medium heat, and stir until sugar dissolved. Add sliced lemons and bring to the boil. Cook until the liquid thickens. Around 10 mins. Let cool and place lemon and lime candied slices on tart. Pour syrup into a jug. Serve with yoghurt and warmed up lemon syrup. Enjoy

Ever wondered how to eat Yams?

2011-07-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

Our tenth food fight, Wow! We started with eggplants in February licked our lips over peach sweets in March, made good use of a bucket load of basil, decided chokos were actually quite special and mastered some homemade pasta in June and we are still enjoying the healthy competition every fortnight.

We have even upgraded our setup, with some fancy pancy lights (a new studio light kit, with standy uppy lights and a free sand bag! very important when your clumsy) and a really expensive lens to add to our shared photography kit, a Canon 100m 2.8m. Thank you to a very helpful Graeme Buckingham from http://www.photowarehouse.co.nz/.

We aren't really sure yet quite what it does,or whether it will make us look better than we actually are! but all the food bloggers who are anyone have one, so that seemed like a good enough reason. So we are amped to experiment and see what we discover. So look out for some experimental food photos coming your way soon.

I've never ever cooked with Yams, but I fell in love with their colour on a recent trip to the Avondale Markets (Auckland). So that's a good enough reason to make them the subject of our next food fight.

Quick snack: poke a few holes in skin and microwave for five mins (turning halfway)

Yam facts

Despite a physical similarity and a frequent confusion with their names, yams and sweet potatoes are not even distantly related. They are in two different botanical families. Yams are actually related to grasses and lillies.

Estrogens (sex hormones) were first made from a similar compound in yams. Yams were used commercially to produce hormones for contraceptive pills, and steroids. (Don't let this put you off!)
New Zealand yams are better known as ocas.

Ingrid's dish: Chilli and lime yam wedges

I love potato and kumara wedges, you can take your french fries or chips back, give them to someone else, I don't want your skinny strips. Yams are the right size and super easy to make into a wedge, and they lend themselves well to a bit of spice. I thought these would look great as an appetiser for a party, you could add a creamy aioli or a dip.

Chilli and lime yam wedges

What you need

Makes enough for 2

500g of yams (sliced lengthways)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 Lime (for serving)

Seasoning

1 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 lime zest grated

1/4 tsp garlic powder or throw a couple of peeled garlic cloves on baking tray
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of brown sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste)

How to make
Line a baking tray with baking paper, brush with olive oil, lay yams skins down. Brush with olive oil. Combine all seasoning ingredients or grind in a mortar and pestle until you have a fine powder. Scatter over yams. Bake at 180C for 35 mins (turn half way) or until golden. Serve with lime.

Raw Yams - Try roasting them with a honey spice...

Vanessa Dish: Honey baked yams
Most of us stick to the usual veges in our winter roasts. We often comment "I wonder how you would cook those? or they look interesting". Yams look pretty weird, they are small and knobbly but like Ingrid said have an appealing yellow/pink colour.

They are super simple to cook and cook quite fast because they are so small. I decided to throw them in with a roast dinner, but jazz them up a bit with a honey and spice coating.

Don't be scared and give them ago. If your kids like potato, they are sure to like the sweet sticky cute yams!

Yams - A cross between a potato and a kumara taste wise (Sweet potato)

Honey baked yams

What you need
500grams Yams
2 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Olive oil (or vegetable)
Salt/pepper
2 tsp spice mix - try chili, ginger, lemon pepper, harrissa mix, chili and lime seasoning. (I used ginger)

How to cook
Melt the honey and add about 2 tsp of spice mix to the honey. Drizzle over the yams and season with salt/pepper to taste.

Bake in the oven along side your roast meat for about 20 - 30 minutes. They are ready when soft. (just like potatoes, stick your fork in to test)

Enjoy, Vanessa

PS - I love Ingrid's idea of serving them with aioli - go the whole hog and serve this with your roast too. Make sure it's extra garlicky!

Honey spiced yams - surprise the family!

For pizza and pie lovers

2011-07-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

Even though we are sisters, we have a very different approach to food and photography. Each fortnight we are going to choose the same ingredient or theme and post the result. These are the results...of our 'cheese food fight'

Vanessa's handmade mozzarella turned into Sardine, mozzarella and tomato pizzettes

Handmade mozzarella - not bad for a first attempt but still needs refining

When we decided our next food fight was going to be cheese it was the perfect motivation to get stuck into using my cheese making kit. My friends bought it for my recent birthday on the proviso I make cheese and have a tasting party! It was a beginner Italian kit featuring Ricotta, Mozzarella and Marscapone. I decided to give the Mozzarella a try and follow up with handmade pizzas.

The first challenge was the cheese, I raced down to my local dairy to get full cream milk (who has that today?) and got chatting with the owner who hails from India. I told him what I was up to and he looked at my 2 litre and told me to buy at least double - how right was he. He makes Panneer, an Indian cheese often fried and added to curry.

Thanks to Mad Millie beginners' Italian cheese kit www.madmillie.com and the girl in the youtube clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTJTxF1-ASs these are the steps I followed to make my Mozzarella.

Mine tasted fine, but was rough on the surface and quite dense. I think the combination of homogenized milk and working it like play doh rather than stretching it made it that way. If you know the reason why - please post us a message.

Boutique cheese - worth every penny! (Homemade mozzarella)

Mozzarella cheese (recipe from the Mad Millie cheese kit)

What you need

4 litres of un-homogenized milk (I used homogenized so that may be where I went wrong?)

2ml calcium chloride

2 tsp citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup of cool water

1/2 tablet of rennet dissolved in 1/4 cup of un-chlorinated water (once again I used regular tap water and I think its chlorinated so maybe that's also where I went wrong?)

Salt to taste

Equipment

Large pot

Slotted draining spoon

Thermometer

Large knife

Rubber gloves (I didn't as the girl in the you tube clip didn't wear them!)

2 large bowls

Butter muslin

How to make

Put milk into large pot and add calcium chloride.
Heat milk to 13 degrees C (55.5 F) before mixing in the diluted citric acid.
Heat the milk to 32 degrees C (89.5 F) whilst constantly stirring to prevent scolding the bottom.
Once the temperature is at 32 degrees C (89.5 F) remove the pot from the heat and stir in the diluted rennet.
Cover the pot and leave to sit for 25-30 minutes.
Check the curd. It should be firm with a clean break. If ready cut the curd with a knife into 3cm (1 inch) cubes.
Place the pot back on the stove and heat the curds and whey to 42 degrees C ( 107.6 F) Stir the curds carefully while heating.
Scoop out the curds and place into a butter muslin lined colander. Let it drip for 5 minutes.
Prepare 2 bowls, one hot 70 degrees C (158 F) and one cool salty ice water.
Put rubber gloves on.
Take a handful of Mozzarella curd and place it under the hot water for 20 seconds. I used the slotted spoon for this stage - like the girl in the you tube clip.
Carefully stretch the curd until it is smooth and flexible. (I found this stage difficult)
Work the curd into a ball and plunge into the salty ice water.
Continue with the rest of the curd.
Eat fresh or put in the fridge in a sealed container.

pizzette with red wine and spicy sauce

Now what do I do with the stuff?

Mozzarella isn't really my cup of tea, I like strong flavours like anchovies, the stinkiest blue around, spices and aged Cheddars. Mozzarella is rather bland. Its more of a cooking cheese and synonymous with pizza so problem solved.

Made from things in my cupboard and the dough made with help from my three year old! A perfect way to include your kids and they love the finished product.

Sardine, mozzarella and tomato pizzette

Pizza dough

You will need
2 tsp yeast (instant dried)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1/2 cup warm water

How to make

In a bowl add the warm water, yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil. Leave for about 10 minutes until its activated and a bit bubbly.
Add the yeast mixture to the flour by making a well in the centre and mixing it with your hands to form a dough ball.
Knead it until its smooth - this takes about 10 mins - using the heel of your hand works well and you get in to a rhythm. Great exercise!
Put into a bowl coated in a bit of Olive oil and place some where warm to let it prove (rise) to double its original size. I leave it for an hour or so.
When ready punch the dough as its quite light and re-work it into a ball.
Its now ready to use.
Roll it out to the desired thinness/thickness - I always go thin.
Place on to a floured dish or pizza stone and add toppings.
All I added was tomato sauce, tinned sardines broken up, cheese and a sprinkle of coriander once cooked.
Bake at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Once you have the dough made - its really quick and easy!
Vanessa x

Delicious - sardines, mozzarella and tomato pizzette

Ingrid's dish: How to turn leftovers into a simple puff pastry pie

I really struggled with this post, as I felt a bit of competitiveness when Vanessa revealed she was going to make cheese. How could I top that! Its a bloody cheese post and she's going to make the stuff from scratch.

So I began some research into what I could make that could topple her mozzarella off its cute pizzette. I had some asparagus and some Gruyere,and puff pastry in the freezer and I thought, I like the combo, could I make a really posh asparagus roll, with some homemade mustard, and flaky pastry. Could I wrap it in a fancy pancy way? Could I balance out the nuttiness of the Gruyere with a dash of homemade relish?

Then I did my usual google search (my starting point for everything), and every chef around that used that combo seemed to have created a tart, they looked really good but I didn't want to copy. I even asked a colleague who was interviewing Julie Le Clerc for a story, if he could ask her what I could do with asparagus and Gruyere that wasn't a tart! (I forgot to tell him ...and puff pastry), and he came back to me, saying Julie would make a salad and toss some macadamia nuts in with it too. Nice one Julie, sounds delicious, however I don't have that on hand, and I wanted this to be simple, and straight from my cupboard.

So I ended up going around in circles, stressing out about cheese all week long, (who does that?) only to end up whipping up a puff pastry Mexican pie using leftovers from the night before. Not quite the competitive edge I was hoping for, but never the less, I thought it was such a great idea for transforming last nights dinner into a completely different dish altogether.

Avocados are in season, so make the most of them.

So basically all it is, is take your leftover casserole, bolognese sauce, roasted vegetables, or even a stir fry, sprinkle some cheese and wrap it in puff pastry and bake it for 25-30 mins on 180C. Job done!

I used leftover mince bolognese, added some kidney beans and made a mexican style pie. I picked rocket from my garden, grabbed a few avo's from my neighbour Johanna's tree (fellow food blogger for Continental Fresh Ideas) http://nz.lifestyle.yahoo.com/food/freshideas/blogs/ to make a guacamole and had a little winter picnic with my son Rhys in the backyard. Enjoy. Ingrid

Winter in Auckland sometimes feels just like summer.

Mexican puff pastry pie with guacamole

What you need
Makes 6
Leftover bolognese sauce

Store-bought puff pastry (defrosted)

1 egg + tsp of water (lightly beaten with a fork)

1/2 can kidney beans

1 cup of Gruyere cheese

How to assemble:

Defrost puff pastry. Set oven temp to 180C. Cut the pastry sheet into six even rectangle strips. Mix bolognese sauce with kidney beans. Spoon bolognese mixture into the middle of one side of the pastry strip, sprinkle grated cheese and fold over to meet the other side. Using a fork press down the edges on all three sides. Brush each side with egg wash (it helps it to go golden brown) and sprinkle some more cheese on top. Bake in oven for 25 - 30 mins. Serve with rocket and guacamole.

Guacamole
1 red onion (chopped)
2 soft avocados (mashed)
1/2 tsp chilli (to taste)
1 tablespoon lime or lemon (squeezed)
Salt to taste
1 ripe tomato (diced finely)

How to make
Simply mix everything together to make a smooth dip. Fold diced tomato through just before serving.

Indian or Italian for dinner tonight?

2011-06-15T01:22:00.000-07:00

Even though we are sisters, we have a very different approach to food and photography. Each fortnight we are going to choose the same ingredient or theme and post the result. These are the results...

Potato facts

The Incas measured time by how long it took for potatoes to cook.
China is the world's largest potato producer.
Potatoes are grown in more than 125 countries (even in space - in 1995).
Potatoes were first eaten more than 6,000 years ago by indigenous people living in the Andes mountains of Peru.

Agria Potatoes - perfect for a curry

Vanessa's dish: Chicken and potato curry

I find it strange that although this curry is packed with spuds, Lewis still eats his with rice. He would never ever eat a curry without rice. Me on the other hand rarely have it with rice, I pack the bowl full of baby spinach leaves and pile on the curry with an extra scoop of the juices.

This curry is remarkably simple and uses things I bet you already have in your kitchen. The trick is the technique and being able to add more or less as you go along...

Every time he makes a curry it's different, but always delicious. I never buy curry from takeaway shops especially knowing how easy and quick it is to make.

I will do my best to describe the process, so give it a go and good luck!

Agria Potatoes - cheap and cheerful $2.50 per kg

Lewis's chicken and potato curry

What you need

Chicken-either thighs or be brave and cut up a whole chicken (Adding the bone gives more flavour but I like boneless thighs) About 8 thighs is perfect for 4 people.

Approximately 3-4 tablespoons Curry powder - mild, medium or hot - anything goes

1/2 cup Vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

2 onions

1 bulb of garlic

1 small piece of ginger

1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Agria potatoes - peeled and chopped into large cubes

Fresh coriander

Rice, roti or nan bread

How to make

(this is the tricky bit - its more like a bit of this, a bit of that and you get better, the more you make it!)

Preparation

Finely chop the onions.

In a mortar and pestle pound the garlic and ginger with salt.

Chop the chicken in to bite-sized pieces.

Peel and chop the potatoes into large cubes.

Roughly chop the coriander leaves and stalks.

Lets cook

Saute the onions in the vegetable oil. ( I would typically use less oil BUT it does give the curry a better flavour with more)

When slightly brown, add the cumin, mustard seeds, garlic and ginger. Fry to release the flavours briefly.

Add the curry powder and do the same then add about 1/2 cup water.

Add the chicken and give it a good stir around to totally coat the chicken.

Put a lid on and turn up the heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

There should be enough liquid in the pot but at this stage you can add a bit more water.

Add the potatoes, and salt then simmer until soft - another 15 minutes or so should do.

Taste and add more salt if needed.

When ready add the coriander and serve hot.

Never buy takeaway curry again!

Lewis's chicken and potato curry - amazing!

Ingrid's dish: Spinach gnocchi with pesto and toasted pine nuts

My darling Italian grandmother is an expert at gnocchi, and my dad is a close second, so I thought it was my time to try and create the lightest, softest Italian dumplings and hope to live up to their reputations.

I always thought you had to turn your kitchen upside down with flour and sticky dough because that's how I saw my Nonna and father do it. And in true familial style, that's exactly what I did! I went about mashing potatoes and chopping garlic, and kneading with gusto, the mess felt well deserved.

Use mashing potatoes such as Agria.

There are some food products that you should never buy from the shop, and gnocchi is now coming off my shopping list. Say NO to stodge! My home-made gnocchi was bellissimo!

A little messy but not in anyway difficult, you will find most ingredients in your pantry or fridge, and you can make it your own, by adding different spices, herbs and ingredients.

I used store-bought pesto to mix through the gnocchi but if you have got the time and the basil, Try Vanessa's recipe for home-made pesto http://foodopera.blogspot.com/2011/03/march-food-fight-two-ways-to-use-basil.html

Toasted pine nuts finished the dish off, and it was given five stars by the bloke and my son, in fact we had it again the next day, even though the dough was quite sticky and needed some extra kneading and flour. I think this might be my most successful dish thus far. Enjoy

Melt in your mouth Italian dumplings

What you need (serves 4)

Gnocchi
4 large potatoes (mashing potatoes such as agria) - chopped/ cubed

2 egg yolks

2 Tbsp milk

2 cloves garlic

4 nobs of frozen spinach defrosted (or a bunch of chopped and wilted fresh spinach)

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup flour

Pesto: I used store-bought but if you want to make your own see Vanessa's recipe for pesto http://foodopera.blogspot.com/search/label/Pasta

I also threw a handful of pine nuts into a fry pan and toasted them until golden, and sprinkled them over the top of the gnocchi to finish.

How to make

On a floured surface, roll into logs, adding flour when the dough gets too sticky. Cut into 1.5cm rectangle shapes.

Heat pesto in a pan.

Drop gnocchi into boiling water in batches, for about 3 mins or until the gnocchi has risen to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Take pesto off the heat and mix gnocchi into sauce. Place on a plate and scatter toasted pine nuts, and grated Parmesan.

Potato Quotes
What I say is that, if a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.

A. A. Milne

My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with.

Oprah Winfrey

TST2AG2SFMNS

What the hell are chokos?

2011-05-30T02:26:00.000-07:00

Choko facts

is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash.

In Australia, a persistent rumour has existed that McDonald's Apple Pies were made of chokos, not apples.

Ingrid's dish

My neighbour and friend Johanna who also happens to be another food blogger gave us our next challenge, by offloading what felt like a trailer load of chokos at my door. She was glad to get rid, and said as she ran off, Good Luck!

I left these so long, they started sprouting!

I have to admit, I had no idea what the hell they were, and they sat in the fruit bowl for about 3 weeks until Johanna asked me if I had turned them into anything exciting yet. I felt guilt, I hate wasting food, especially as it was a gift (kinda...) So I did a bit of research and worked out they were more a filler food, not very tasty or flavoursome on their own but make great pickles, relishes, can be added to bulk out a stew, or can be stuffed. I couldn't get my head around them being added to sweet stuff, so I didn't even go down that track.

I've started on a bit of a soup phase, so I decided stew/ soup , its all kind of the same, and went about peeling and cutting my chokos in prep for a Curried Bacon and Choko soup.

Now I have to admit, peeling the damn things drove me nuts, I ended up using a small sharp knife and peeled them under the cold tap as they are so slimy and tough, but Vanessa had already finished her relish and said it was worth it in the end, so I kept trucking on.

Curried bacon and choko soup

Makes large pot - enough for 6/8

What you need
2 onions

25g butter

6 rashers of bacon (chopped)

6 chokos - peeled/ remove hard core/ cubed

3 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 3 cups of boiled water (or 3 cups of home-made or store bought stock)

2 tsp curry powder

salt/ pepper to taste

How to make

In a large pot, melt butter and saute onions and bacon for 5 mins. Add chopped chokos, and saute for a further 5mins. Add stock and curry powder. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins. Mash roughly with a potato masher. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley. Serve with yoghurt (optional).

Vanessa's Dish

You would have thought being interested in food and living in New Zealand it would have been much sooner that the Opera sisters discovered chokos. Alas it was only through our blog and a mammoth seasonal photo shoot of fruit and vegetables that we really decided to conquer the choko. I am pretty adventurous when it comes to food, put it this way I will give everything ago once, but the choko has never inspired me. I didn't even know what it looked like on the inside or what you could actually do with them!

I remembered seeing choko chutney at school fairs and charity shop stalls. Its usually handmade by experiences Nana's and sounded like a plan for the food fight.

What a success, its more mellow than just straight tomatoes, cheaper especially if they have fallen off the neighbours tree and a great neutral base to add spice or heat.

two ugly sisters or cheeky chokos ?

What you need

2 chokos peeled and diced

1 apple peeled and diced

2 tomatoes diced

1 onion diced

1 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/4 ups of vinegar

1 or 2 chopped chillies

How to make
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan on low until the sugar has dissolved.
When the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer for about 11/2 - 2 hours until the mixture has reduced and thickened up.
Pour in to sterilized containers if preserving or a cute chutney jar with a lid if eating soon.
When cool if eating soon, refrigerate or else store away for treats later.
It is said that things like this get better with age, mine didn't last very long to find out!

Choko chutney - amazing with a stinky blue

Vanessa X

How to love Brussel Sprouts

2011-05-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

I never grew up with brussel sprouts, I never had to endure a miserable soggy boiled sprout that was forced upon me, just so I could leave the table. My sprout memories are good, in fact I have great sprout stories of crunchy, flavoursome, good looking sprouts that I can't get enough of.

And for this reason, our sixth food fight was decided. I wanted other people to experience sprout fever, which is happening in my house at the moment.

Vanessa actually introduced me to this super fast and simple dish and during sprout season, this is my 'go to' for when I need to whip up dinner in a hurry. I almost always have this with eye fillet steak, (seasalt and cracked pepper, medium rare 4 mins each side). Ingrid

I have been experimenting lately with photographing food as it would appear in the pages of a magazine, or a cookbook, I just love how my sprouts turned out.

Sprouts sauteed in wholegrain mustard

Enough for 4 (8 halved sprouts each)

What you need

16 Brussel sprouts (remove the outer leaves, cut off stalk and halve)

2 Tbsp Olive oil

2 Tbsp wholegrain mustard

What to do

Ok, I know I said boiling is the reason sprouts have got a bad rap, but you need to boil them only for 4 mins to soften them ever so slightly.

Don't overboil! Drain in a colander, drizzle olive oil and mustard then sauteed them in a pan on medium high heat, tossing them frequently until the sprouts have crisped up.

I'm definately going through a green and purple stage

Brussel Sprout facts

According to a 2002 survey, Brussels sprouts are the most hated vegetable in Britain.
Brussels sprouts contain something called sinigrin, a glucosinate that may prevent colon cancer according to research.
Chef James Martin has developed a Brussels Sprout ice-cream and a cocktail called the "Sproutini" - made from vermouth, gin and sprouts frozen in ice cubes.
Brussels sprouts are high in dietary fibre, low in fat, and contain three times as much vitamin C, weight for weight, as oranges

Vanessa's Dish

Brussel sprouts nutritious and tasty!

As Ingrid said we were fortunate to NOT grow up with soggy sieve through your teeth vegetables and brussel sprouts are not a memory from my childhood. My earliest memory would have to be whilst in Europe, in particular Ireland. Christmas dinner was never complete without the good old sprout!

I was Comme ci, comme ca about them as they were usually just boiled. I like flavour, crunch, spice and excitement - plain boiled veges are not my cup of tea.

I really don't know how the brussel sprout and a mustard dish came about - they just marry perfectly and are pleasure to eat.

My challenge was to create another dish to add to the "I love sprouts" fanclub!

Initially I though of sprouts with a cheesy sauce but being a busy mum with a sometimes clingy and demanding three year old - quick and easy was going to be my motivation!

Roasting - I love roasting things, its super easy and you cant fail at it BUT can you roast a brussel sprout?

Often I check with my buddy Mr. Google, this time I just threw it all in to the pan drizzled it with olive oil and salt and hopped for the best.

Voila - beautiful and tasty brussel sprouts - easy and different.

Roasted sprouts

What you need

Brussel sprouts with any yellow leaves taken off and the bottoms cut off.

Garlic bulbs

Any other vegetables that roast well (carrots, parsnips, kumara)

Olive oil

Salt

How to make

Prepare vegetables

Throw into roasting dish

drizzle with Olive oil and salt

Roast for about an hour - keep checking the sprouts as the leaves can crisp up and burn. You may have to remove them prior to the other vegetables being cooked.

Roasted brussel sprouts - easy and delicious

Enjoy and wow your family!

Vanessa 

Even a toddler can cook these! Happy Mothers day!

2011-05-07T02:20:00.000-07:00

Lemon Polenta Cookies - fantastic to bake with toddlers

Happy Mothers Day to all those busy mums out there. I never knew how demanding being a mum could be until I had my own son. I often feel like a bungy cord, being stretched and pulled BUT thankfully always bouncing back!

My son loves to bake - hes only 3 but clearly sees me in the kitchen and wants a piece of the action. Usually its a messy affair and the results are not the usual adult standard, however these crunchy cookies worked out perfectly. The great thing about them is, its a dough and you can give the littlie some to play with and hopefully it will keep him busy whilst you make the "real" nicely shaped cookies that are thin and crunchy unlike your child's chunky creation.

Adding polenta and zesty lemon make them adult friendly too, as does the lemon drizzle icing. No food colouring, not too much of a sugar rush and thin enough to eat a few and not feel like you have pigged out.

Dads, give it ago and treat her this Sunday!

Top tip - make sure the clean up is spot on!

Lemon polenta cookies - the pics in the background are of our own mum having fun with the girls - your the best mum!

lemon Polenta Cookies

What you need

125g butter softened

1/2 cup of Sugar

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Lemon zest from one large lemon

3/4 cup Polenta

1 1/4 cup Flour

How to make

Pre heat oven to 160 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Cream butter and sugar until pale.

Add egg yolks, zest and vanilla and mix in to the creamed mixture.

Add the polentas and flour and mix until you have a dough like consistency.

Now, this is when you give your littlie some dough and let them play with it!

In the meantime you "quickly" start to roll out the dough about 1/2 cm thick and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter.

You will probably need to add more flour so the cookies don't stick to the bench.

Place on the baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes or until pale.

You can either ice them with lemon icing or dust them with icing sugar.

Lemon Polenta Cookies - for mum

Two ways with pumpkin with a hint of purple carrots!

2011-04-30T00:41:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin facts

It's a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers.
Antarctica is the only continent pumpkins won't grow in.
Pumpkin flowers are edible.
Pumpkins are 90 percent water.
They were once recommended as a cure for freckles.

Sweet tasting buttercups

Ingrids dish: Roasted Buttercup on couscous with spiced yoghurt dressing

I love pumpkins, I love them cooked in everyway, and every other kiwi seems to agree with me. Every cafe and restaurant in Auckland seems to have pumpkin on their menu - pumpkin soup, cannelloni, rissoto . . .

I've been so into pumpkins in the past I actually managed to turn my wee man (Rhys 19 months) orange when he was 6 months old. I thought he just had 'olive skin' passed down from my Italian dad, but a visit to Plunket produced quite a different diagnosis - an overdose of carotene!

This last week, its been feeling quite autumal, the heater is on low just to take the chill out of the air. Pumpkins, buttercups and butternuts are in season so should be on your shopping lists, eat in season, eat well and save money - Enjoy!

Stack them up high on the plate and drizzle with creamy dressing

Roasted Buttercup on couscous with spiced yoghurt dressing

Serves 4

What you need

1 small buttercup (cut into thin slices with the skin on or off)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup (100g) couscous

1/2 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Seasalt/ pepper to taste

4 wedges of feta (optional)

Coriander (chopped)

Spiced yoghurt dressing

1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup greek style yoghurt
1 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp finely grated lemon rind

How to make

Set oven tempurature to 180C. Lay slices of buttercup on a baking tray, and drizzle with oil. Bake in oven for 30 mins (turning buttercup slices mid way through) or until golden. Place couscous in a bowl, add boiling water and lemon juice, seasalt and pepper and cover and let stand for 5 mins.

Spiced yoghurt Dressing

Combine all ingredients in a bowl ready to drizzle.

Fluff up couscous and place on each plate. Stack roasted buttercup slices on top, add a wedge of feta. drizzle with cumin yoghurt dressing and add chopped coriander. Enjoy

Vanessa's dish - Roasted pumpkin and purple carrot soup

Grey green and grey skinned pumpkins

I love pumpkins too, roasted, in soup, in salads and in pasta like ravioli or gnocchi - they just have that wintry and comforting feel about them. Ingrid mentioned the Italian connection and our love of pumpkins definitely didn't come from our father - he believes things cooked with their skins on are for the pigs! Funny, this sounds like he may have grown up on a Tuscan farm feeding pigs but no, more like a city "Trieste" northern Italy, so I am not sure where the piggy analogy came from.

Pumpkins are cheap, economical and have a beautiful vibrant colour. I decided to do the quintessential winter soup but rather than just pumpkin I thought I would throw in a few other winter treats I discovered at my local "posh" supermarket. Introducing purple carrots...

The famous purple carrot - stains your hands and teeth and is a little bit bitter raw!

Roasted pumpkin and winter vegetable soup with purple carrots!

You will need
Any veges that work well roasted. I used pumpkin, kumara, carrots orange and purple, onion and garlic.
Vegetable or chicken Stock (I used stock cubes keeping with the economical nature of pumpkins)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Perhaps curry powder if you want a spiced pumpkin
Cream - if you want a richer and more decant soup

How to make
Roast in a pan all the vegetables smothered with olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep the skin on the garlic as it roasts it beautifully.
In a pan heat up the stock (about 1-2 litres) and add your vegetables and curry powder. This is the stage you need to squeeze the garlic pulp out of the skins and into your soup. Pop a couple of cloves in your mouth - they taste delicious and they keep away colds and the flu!
Simmer until the stock is reduces and the soup is looking thicker. (30 mins to one hour)
Blend in a blender of processor and if desired add cream and re heat.
Season to taste

WARNING - Purple carrots make your soup go a dark brown colour!!! Its not that I wouldn't recommend them, however it just doesn't have the same feel as "orange" pumpkin soup!

Cleaning up - and there weren't even any guests!

Leftovers Risotto

2011-04-23T03:11:00.000-07:00

Even though we are sisters, we have a very different approach to food and photography. Each fortnight we are going to choose the same ingredient or theme and post the result.

Rice

A kitchen staple with many uses both sweet and savoury. Rice is cheap, lasts for ages and can be glamorous or really simple.

Rice facts

Rice is a symbol of life and fertility, which is why rice was traditionally throw at weddings.

Japanese people believe it is important to not waste rice, so it you leave rice in your bowl it is considered to be rude.

There are more than 40,000 varieties of rice that grow on every continent except on Antarctica

Leftovers Risotto

What you need

Arborio rice 250 grams

Olive oil

1-2 liters chicken stock or water and stock cubes (some wine also works well here)

2-4 garlic cloves

2 onions

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Leftovers such as meat or chicken from a roast, vegetables, tomatoes, mushrooms, anchovies, capers, herbs - anything that is good cooked!

Salt and pepper to taste

How to make

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft and add the rice. People often say saute until rice is clear but I have never managed to achieve this.

Just saute for 5 minutes or so making sure the rice is coated with the oil.

Add about a cup of stock and stir, keep adding stock in portions, stirring and adding until the rice is cooked. This will take a minimum of 30 minutes. If you run out of stock water or even wine is fine to use.

Towards the end of the cooking process, add your meat and vegetables i.e leftovers. Stir through Parmesan, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Really easy, takes a bit of time but uses up your leftovers and turns them into a rustic and homely meal.

Chicken and Rice balls

What you need

500grams minced chicken or blitz chicken thighs/breasts in the food processor until like mince.

left over cooked rice - 1-2 cups

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

Frozen vegetables - I used a pea, broccoli and cauliflower mix.

Salt and pepper to taste

Breadcrumbs to coat balls with

How to make

This is super easy! basically you blitz everything except the rice in the food processor. Add this to the rice and mix so its thick and comes together as a ball. Coat with breadcrumbs and place onto an oiled baking tray. DONT use baking paper as a bit of water comes out of the balls and it just doesn't work!

Bake at 180 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

Serve with a chutney or tomato sauce and crispy green salad.

Great for kids, in lunch boxes or at parties.

Easter Eggs...

2011-04-21T05:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to you all and have a wonderful 4 day weekend...

What a busy last few weeks we have had. We have been shooting foodie images for a possibility of a magazine purchasing some of our shots.Raw has overtaken JPEG and I have been experimenting with my sisters F1.8 lens. Both of us have been hanging around Mitre 10 and Bunnings as well as scouring the inorganic collections on the side of the road for interesting stuff to use in our images. The men in our lives must be wondering...

Easter has come out of nowhere.

Being a teacher in my other life, the school holidays are a BIG bonus. Easter has fallen in the middle this year so as far as hols its same same.

For the Easter season, my family always get together on the Sunday to have a BBQ brunch. Mum gets delicious sausages from a secret butchers, Dad usually hits the seafood markets and its a casual family affair. Coffee is more important than chocolate!

Now we have a couple of kids in tow, this year we are planning an Easter Egg hunt in the garden. I remember doing this once, wandering around with a wicker basket collecting eggs. (Well maybe its a photo memory but never the less its etched in my mind).

Easter food at the parents will probably be as described but when I though of this post I thought of nostalgia...

Soft boiled eggs with soldiers and Mums "Egg mashed up in a cup". Come to think of it she did "Banana mashed up in a cup" too.

Unfortunately my soft boiled eggs were hard so plan B is documented!

Enjoy and have a safe and relaxing Easter.

These amazing wee sleeves were free in the egg packet - cute Easter shrinkies

In an ideal world this image would be oozing with rich runny egg yolks

Mums "Egg mashed up in a cup" - with a twist.
All it is is boiled eggs, Greek yoghurt, salt, pepper and a touch of curry powder.

Mum (now Nana) and her "Eggs mashed up in a cup" creation - perfect!

Homely and tasty, Perfect for an Autumn Easter at home - Eggs on toast

Check out foodopera on Flickr as well as our Twitter feed - go on, be the second person to follow us!

Feijoas - love em or hate em!

2011-04-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Feijoas

They originate from South America.
Feijoas were introduced into New Zealand in the 1920`s.
Common Names: Feijoa, Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen.
Feijoas have been described as 'the world's healthiest food' by the New York Times.

Eat Feijoas au naturale - unusual but delicious

Vanessa's Dish - Pork Scotch Fillet stuffed with Prunes and a Feijoa Sauce

Ingrid suggested Feijoas for the next food fight, maybe she is a closet feijoa lover? I, however, never really got into them. I remember travelling and meeting other Kiwis and when the discussion came around to what we missed from home, feijoas featured highly. The love of feijoas even extends to wine and vodka - both interesting but I think I am going to stick with my grape Chardonnay thankyou!

This coincided with an opportunity to start compiling images for publication in some magazines. The brief was seasonal produce with recipes and photos of both the before and after... Off to the fruitshop I went searching for the perfect feijoa.

I decided on making a savoury dish with my feijoas, one inspired by a restaurant I worked in whilst at university. My twist is the feijoas!

Pork and Prunes cooking in my favourite Le Creucet pot

What you need

Scotch fillet of pork

12 Prunes

2 Onions

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

8 feijoas

A heavy casserole dish with a lid

A food processor or blender

Pork, prunes and feijoa sauce - really delicious, would definitely make again!

How to make

With a long knife make a cut through the length of the fillet.With your fingers, stuff as many prunes as you can in to the fillet. Season with salt and pepper and coat with olive oil. In the casserole dish add a bit more oil and brown the fillet all over.When brown, add the onions and put into a warm oven (about 160 - 180 degrees). Bake for about half an hour - this depends on the size of your fillet so keep and eye on it and don't overcook. When ready, take out of the dish and set aside to rest. (Its a good idea to wrap in tin foil at this stage)

Feijoa sauce
Scoop out the feijoa flesh and add to the pot that should have a bit of juice in the bottom. Simmer until the feijoas are soft. Stir occasionally so you get the lovely flavours from the bottom of the dish. When the feijoas are soft, blend until smooth. Taste and if needed add additional salt and pepper or even a bit of sugar if its too tart. I didn't do either!

Serve over the rested pork.

This would go great with a simple baby spinach and beetroot salad. Enjoy

Ingrid's Dish - Feijoa bread and butter puddings

Free fruit from my forage - I can't believe you went to the fruit shop sis!

Feijoas are everywhere at the moment, rubbish bags of feijoas kept turning up at my office, the neighbourhood children are using them as missles, the tree next door keeps off-loading them all over my driveway, and the funniest sight of all is the up turned bums protuding out of all the bushes - foraging is alive and well in my neighbourhood.

So if you aren't sick of the site of the humble feijoa (and being 'outed' as a feijoa lover, I'm not!), and your feeling a bit autumnal, these mini feijoa puds will warm your tastebuds.

Feijoas are sweet so if you want a low calorie option you could omit the sugar all together.

Feijoa bread and butter puddings

Makes 4

What you need

1 1/2 cups single pouring cream

3 eggs

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 slices of white bread (any bread will do)

4 feijoas

How to make

Set oven temperature to 160C. Mix cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Cut crusts off bread slices and rip or cut into cubes. Place into a bowl. Remove flesh from feijoas and dice into the bowl. Pour cream mixture into bowl and fold through bread and feijoa.

Spoon evenly into cups. Place cups (ramekins) into a baking dish half filled with water (It stops the puds drying out) and place in centre of oven for around 30 mins or until set. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Peaches and Nectarines

2011-03-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

Peaches

Peaches, they evoke memories of summer whether it be tinned with ice cream or fresh from the tree. Unfortunately today the luxury of picking peaches off your next door neighbours tree or even better yours, seems to be dying out. Never the less they are a romantic and nostalgic fruit that have so many uses both sweet and savoury.

Interesting Peach Facts

A peach pit contains hydrocyanic acid, which is a poisonous substance.
Nectarines are a variety of peach with a smooth skin.
A medium peach contains only 37 calories.
The juice from peaches makes a wonderful moisturiser.

Vanessa's Dish - Peach pastries

It was partly disorganisation and also not knowing that nectarines were actually peaches that encouraged me to use tinned peaches. Previously I thought tinned peaches were a bit naff and common and really the only use was in a smoothy or on ice cream, which incidentally I can't stand.

Anyway it motivated me to get on with the challenge and without a garden to raid, tinned it would be. I am not a pastry person and when you can buy it for about $2.00 a block who would bother making it. I pulled out a block of flaky pastry from the freezer and put tinned peaches on top - it was as easy as that! My son loved them, we called them peach surprises and I was impressed how pretty they looked, they even reminded me of something that might come out of a French bakery...hmmmmmm

Peach Surprises - the biggest surprise was how easy they were to make

You will need

A block of puff pastry

A tin of peaches

Sugar

How to cook

Defrost the pastry

Cut into shapes - I used a pastry cutter but you could do squares easy enough without.

Place the peaches on top in an attractive design - I sliced them in half to make thinner slices.

Put on baking paper and sprinkle with sugar - brown or white.

Bake at 180 degrees for about 15 mins - keep checking as the sugar and syrup do burn.

When cooked take off the baking paper as soon as you can.

Sprinkle with icing sugar if you desire

Lovely with a coffee and a bunch of friends or something to put a smile on the kids faces.

Ingrid's dish - Honey baked nectarines with vanilla and brown sugar

Thanks to a little breeze and the neighbours tree, dessert was homegrown.

The in-laws arrived a month ago and the first thing they like to do when coming from a chilly British winter, is get stuck in to all the juicy summer fruits on offer in New Zealand.

I had planted seedless watermelon and rockmelon to coincide with their visit in the hope that I could show off my green fingers but I had no luck and they are still creeping their vines along my patch quite happily. Anyone know if they will still grow through winter?

So when I saw my neighbours nectarine tree, edging over the fence, I thought, with a little breeze we might be ok here. I only needed a few, one nectarine to feed two. So with a little help from the British, I was on my way to making a tasty dessert straight from 'my' garden.

Honey baked nectarines - I just wished I made more

The beauty with this dessert is you can prepare it, and place it in the oven whilst your still eating your dinner, and it can be served straight from an overproof pan, keeping dishes to a minimum. And it looks really impressive in a 'french country' kinda way. Enjoy

Honey baked nectarines with vanilla and brown sugar

enough for 6

You will need

3 Nectarines (ripe and cut in half, one nectarine for two)

sheet of baking paper

3 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence or scrape out a vanilla pod

3 Tbsp honey

6 Tbsp yoghurt (drizzled with honey)

How to make

Set oven temp to 180C. remove stones and place cut nectarines on baking paper in an oven proof dish/ pan facing up. Drizzle honey, vanilla, and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake at 180C for 15mins, scoop up the juices and coat nectarines and bake for a further 15mins or until golden and sticky. Serve with yoghurt, drizzled with honey.

Autumn Chestnuts Reminds me of London...

2011-03-26T02:08:00.000-07:00

Close up of a bowl of chestnuts

Beautiful chestnuts in a bowl

I was at the local Asian market yet again rushing around with Master 3 attempting to get vegetables and meat for dinner that evening, when I spied a bag of chestnuts.

Immediately I remembered my time in London and the novelty of warm chestnuts cooked on what looked like a tin rubbish bin.

My other memory of chestnuts was a friend giving me a tube of French chestnut puree. I can't remember what I did with the beautiful looking tube of puree but knowing I had a bit of French style put a smile on my face.

I couldn't resist buying the chestnuts, they were only $3.95 per bag and decided I would recreate the nostalgic memory of a winter in London many years ago...

How the looked in the shop - chestnuts $3.95 a bag

My first step was to find out how to roast these babies. It couldn't be easier however the preparation was a bit fiddly. The suggestion is either a cross or slit in the top of the chestnut prior to roasting. I highly suggest the cross so do take the time in preparation - a bit like painting your house really! You will thank yourself for it in the long run! I, however took the shortcut and suffered getting them out of the shells... you live and learn!

So all you do after the cutting off the skin is put them in a roasting pan or dish, pop them in a medium oven, 180 degrees fan worked for me and roast them for about 15 - 20 minutes.
I don't remember having them with salt in London but thought something was missing, so after roasting doused them with lots of freshly milled salt.

Serve in a paper bag and serve them warm!

Now for the disappointing bit, they were quite tricky to get out of the shells and actually the memories came back to me of walking the streets of London spitting bits of shell out. Half a dozen is do-able, any more and you would need to stop in a cosy pub for a beer to wash it down with.

Chestnut Facts
If you don't slit them they will explode when roasting!
Chestnuts have high water content and are low in calories compared to other nuts and seeds.
Chestnuts are mostly carbohydrates.
Chestnuts are called marrons/chataigne in French, castagno in Italian and castanwydd in Welsh.

Happy roasting and reminiscing

Vanessa

New York Style Lemon Curd Cheesecake, perfect for Birthdays...

2011-03-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you...Lemon Curd Cheesecake

Birthdays in my family equals going out to dinner and there is always presents and a cake. The restaurant choice was out of my hands but birthday boy being a bloke, unsurprisingly it involved meat and lots of it. The restaurant in question has been around in Auckland for decades however had moved into a seedy/trendy brick alley at the bottom of town. I booked online and asked if bringing a birthday cake was OK...

I decided to make a baked cheesecake, a bit different and a great dessert, and was banking on the gang loving them as much as I do.

Normally I don't bother putting the base up the sides or adding the additional layer topping but because it was a birthday and thinking about blogging it I went the whole hog.

Initially I was going to do the sour cream topping but only had low fat Greek yoghurt and was a bit worried what would happen when baked so to save the stress of a cake that fails, created a plan B!

I have made lemon curd many times and added it to ice cream, crepes, toast or yoghurt so why not add it to the top of the cheesecake. Hooray Hooray it worked and added a much needed zest to a creamy and decadent desert.

What you need

Base

2 packets of malt biscuits

1 tsp of mixed spice, all spice or cinnamon

100grams butter (melted)

Filling

2 regular tubs softened cream cheese - either room temperature or microwaved briefly

1 cup castor sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Topping

50grams butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup lemon juice

2 beaten eggs

Lemon zest from 1-2 lemons

How to make

Grease a round springform baking tin.

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees

In a food processor blitz the biscuits until fine and add both the spice and melted butter.

Press into the tin and up the sides. If its not sticking to the sides you may need to add a bit more melted butter or blitz the biscuits finer. (I had to re-blitz the butter and biscuits).

Once pressed into the tin, put into the fridge whilst you make the filling.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth, add the sugar, eggs one at a time, vanilla, zest and juice. beat again until smooth.

Check the base and if firm pour the liquid into the tin and bake for 45 minutes or until just firm.

Whilst the cheese cake is cooking you need to make the final layer.

In a double boiler (a heat proof bowl above a pot filled with boiling water) melt the butter, stir in the sugar and lemon juice until the sugar has dissolved. Add the beaten eggs and lemon zest.

Stir constantly to prevent ending up with a lemon scrambled eggs. The mixture should start to thicken however it can be a bit of trial and error...

Tips

If after about 15 minutes its not thickening either try turning up the heat and possibly adding more boiling water or add an extra beaten egg. The egg is the thickening agent. I like my lemon curd quite zesty and sour so added more lemon juice and zest and had to add an extra egg at the last minute. Also keep in mind when it cools it firms up and sets.

When the cheese cake is ready, let it sit for 5 minutes or so before you pour on the lemon curd layer.

Let it cool and put in the fridge until ready to serve.

I made mine the night before and it was perfect after being in the fridge 24 hours. The lemon curd set really well and the contrast of the yellow and white looked beautiful.

It went down a treat!

The day after, still as delicious as ever - Lemon Curd Cheesecake

Two ways to use Basil

2011-03-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

Basil facts

The ancient Greeks and Romans thought basil would only grow if you screamed wild curses and shouted intelligibly while sowing the seeds.
Basil is Greek for 'royal' or 'kingly'.
In Italy, basil has always been a token of love.

Vanessa's dish - Pesto pasta

A work colleague arrived today with an armload of fragrant and vibrant basil. My classroom smells like an Italian kitchen and I am itching to get busy creating a dish to photograph, eat and post tonight.

The obvious is pesto so with a few other essentials and a food processor or mortar and pestle that's the plan.

I have some tasty tomatoes straight from the garden however they aren't the best looking as the birds or slugs have been snacking at them.

I would be happy with pesto and tomato however the males in my house may like it jazzed up with "meat" so crispy bacon on top should do the trick...

Wish me luck...

Pesto pasta with roasted tomatoes and pinenuts

Shopping list

Parmesan

Olive oil

Bacon

Pine nuts

Pasta - spaghetti

Bunches of basil

Salt and pepper

Garlic

A few hours later...

I cant believe the price of pine nuts, no wonder bought pesto contains 'other' nuts and vegetable oil.

I choose to go the whole hog and use extra virgin olive oil and expensive pine nuts, here is how I did it.

What you need
Dried pasta - spaghetti
Olive oil - about 300mls
Pine nuts - a hand full
Grated Parmesan - 1 cup
Salt and pepper
Garlic cloves - 1-2
Basil - 2-3 cups packed down (that's quite a bit of basil)
Tomatoes - 6
Bacon 300grams

How to make
In a food processor blitz basil, oil, Parmesan, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the pine nuts at the last minute and pulse for a few seconds.
Set aside.
Boil the salted water and cook the pasta until its al dente - firm to the bite.
Grill the tomatoes and bacon both drizzled with olive oil and salt/pepper.

To assemble
When the pasta is cooked and drained stir pesto into the hot pasta. You may need to add more oil or even some of the hot pasta water to fully coat the pasta. Top with crispy bacon, roasted tomato halves, more pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.

Ultimate comfort food - Pesto pasta

Delizioso

Ingrid's dish - Chunky chips with lemon basil aioli

My big plan was to make aioli (Lemon basil) from scratch, I did my research, I stole from the best (Jamie Oliver) and went to work. I had a little helper, Jim, my partner, telling me where I was going wrong, he was hungry and it was getting quite late, I told him its OK, I have Jamie, it can't go wrong.

Lemon basil aioli - The cheats way.

I hit a curb ball when the recipe called for 500ml of olive oil (half virgin, half normal) to one egg yolk. I was astounded. I just love aioli, mayo, tartare...surely I haven't being dipping my chips in a great big pile of oil all this time. No matter how much I beat, blitzed, or processed, my aioli still looked like oily orange juice.

At 8.30p.m, when the chips were golden, I had to surrender. Thank god for Donna Hay! I grabbed the store-bought mayonnaise, added crushed garlic, my chopped basil, squeezed a little lemon/ lime, gave it a bit of a blitz and lemon basil aioli - the cheats way was born. Enjoy

The paprika adds a little bite to the chips, a squeeze of lemon cools it down

Homemade chunky chips with lemon basil aioli

makes enough for 4 (as a side)

You will need:

Chips

5 large floury baking potatoes

sea salt (to taste)

1-2 tsp paprika (sprinkle)
4 cloves of garlic

pepper (to taste)

olive oil

lemons (wedges or slices)

How to make

Set oven temperature to 180C. Bring to the boil a large pot of half filled water, Leaving the skin on, cut potatoes in 1cm thick slices, and them slice into chips. Boil potatoes for 3-4 mins. Dry on a paper towel and place in an lightly sprayed or oiled baking dish.

Add olive oil, enough to lightly coat, sea salt to taste, sprinkle paprika, cracked pepper, and place whole cloves of garlic in the dish. Bake for 15mins, turn chips, and bake for another 15mins or until golden. Serve with lemon wedges.

Lemon basil aioli - The cheats way!

You will need

4 Tbsp store bought mayonnaise

1 clove of garlic, crushed

bunch of chopped basil

squeeze of lemon or lime

How to make

Blitz in a food processor, (or chop basil finely and mix all ingredients together well) and serve in a bowl with hot chips.

Discover Dragonfruit

2011-03-15T01:55:00.000-07:00

I was perusing the fruit and vege shop the other day and I got quite excited when I came across this vivid and bony looking fruit. Bright cerise in colour, with a sharp exterior, I just had to see what was inside.

The shop girl got quite excited too, apparently she got hooked on Dragonfruit whilst travelling in Cambodia, she told me they taste a lot like kiwifruit but not as tart, she also said not too many people seem brave enough to try them. I said to her it was more likely the price ($6.90 NZ each) than the bravery.

However, I was curious, and I also wanted to photograph this little puffa fruit, inside and out. And visually, I wasn't in anyway disapointed. Cut open, the Dragonfruit was quite spectacular, as you will see from the pics. However, the taste test was a bit hit and miss. Here are the results of the taste test.

Dragonfruit taste test

Ingrid: Sweet tomato ending with a crunch (the seeds), pleasant, would be great in a 'flashy' fruit salad

Bloke: ordinary taste, bland, reminded him of something he couldn't quite remember which makes sense considering how boring this fruit was

Rhys (16 months): I heart dragonfruit

Dragonfruit facts

It grows on a climbing cactus.
It tastes better when stored in the refrigerator
To enhance the flavor, sprinkle it with a bit of either lemon or lime juice.
Dragonfruit can also be made into wine, fruit juice, or jam.
They have been known to cause allergic reactions in some people, such as rash, hives and swollen lips.

Vegetables, cheap and cheerful but look impressive!

2011-03-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

Roasted vegetables before cooking with the help of a keen apprentice!

Roasted vegetables are so easy, nutritional and great when you don't have the luxury of time to fiddle around in the kitchen because you have kids tugging at your apron strings (actually nagging you to play trains).
As far as photographing them for the blog, it was totally impromptu BUT like spur of the moment things it worked a treat!

Roasted vegetables served with roast chicken.

The finished result. We ate these with a supermarket roasted chicken - so easy and delicious. Jake even asked for it the following night! The next day I had a few leftovers so in the creative mood, turned the roasted vegetables into an equally delicious salad served with a berry vinaigrette. In hindsight one thing I would have added would have been nuts or seeds or sliced red onions.

Roasted vegetable salad - fresh and delicious!

Roasted Vegetables

What you need

Pretty much any vegetables that can be roasted.

Garlic bulbs are one of my favourites.

Carrots, onions, pumpkin, squash, potatoes, parsnip, aubergine, courgettes...

Olive oil

Salt, pepper and herbs such as rosemary, thyme or oregano

How to cook

Peel and cut, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs.

Bake at about 180 degrees for about an hour.

Serve with any roast meat!

Roasted vegetable salad

You will need

Baby spinach leaves

Leftover roasted vegetables

Nuts or seeds

Red onions

Feta cheese (optional)

Any vinaigrette you have - even Olive oil and vinegar mixed

How to cook

Really simple, just toss together and add the vinaigrette at the last minute.

A fantastic addition to any meat of fish meal or served with a quiche or pie at lunchtime.

Extra addition - I couldn't resist adding this picture! Dinner tonight with a cooked chook!
Roasted apples, garlic, carrots and tomatoes.