Memories from my childhood

My Childhood Summers - at Endeavour Inlet, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand

Every now and then I get slightly nostalgic about my past. I was blessed as a child to grow up in the country, to feel sun on my face, wind in my hair and generally the odd prickle in the foot. I have a feeling that the next few posts will be based on childhood recipes that I have grown up with - as having a child yourself makes you realise how important just those simple moments in your life are.
Many summers our family would spend either at lake Taupo (central North Island of NZ), playing tennis, swimming and generally getting into mischief, or if not at the lake we would go to the family holiday home in the Marlborough sounds (top of the south island)- which was always my favourite, as we all would climb aboard the dingy and head out fishing for the day. When my brother and I got big enough, we would kayak around the sounds chasing waves from the water taxi (only way to get in or out, unless you have a helicopter) and at night, when no one was looking, would go and raid the local mussel farms- bringing home a bucket of mussels to be enjoyed by all.
Most of my favourite recipes are from kaimoana (food from the sea)- nothing tastes as good as a freshly caught fish or freshly picked mussels.

Recipe 39 is what we used to do with the mussels as soon as we got them, subtle flavours really as you do not want to ruin the taste and recipe 40 is for the day after, when they weren't so fresh.

Recipe 39: Garlic Mussels

  Fresh Mussels - this recipe is based on about 10
2 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste (but if straight from the sea generally no need!)

METHOD

1. Clean and de-beard mussels using a sharp knife (de-bearding- means removing any trace of hair on the shell). Chuck out any mussels which are slightly open (as that means they are no good- especially if just picked). 
2. Melt butter in saucepan, add garlic and mussels 
3. When mussels are cooked, the shells will open. Once all open, sprinkle in lemon juice and stir in the pot so all are covered with garlic and lemon juice. (Discard any that do not open)
4. Eat as is and depending, generally 10 will serve 2 people

Recipe 40: Mussel Soup

  250g white fish fillets
4 cups water
400g can tomatoes
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp curry powder
2 tbsp plain flour
1/4 dry white wine
2 tsp chicken stock powder
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp basil
16-20 fresh cleaned mussels in shell
Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Put fish and water into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Remove fish from the pan and flake (break down into pieces).
3. Reserve all the liquid. Drain and chop tomatoes reserving juice.
4. In another saucepan melt the butter, add curry powder and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook until frothy.
5. Gradually add reserved liquid, wine, left over tomato juice and chicken stock powder. 
6. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly until mixture thickens slightly.
7. Add tomato paste, basil and chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil.
8. Add mussels, simmer for 10 minutes or until mussels open. (Discard any which do not open)
9. Stir in the flaked fish and use salt and peper to taste. Serves 4 -6

Recipe 37 & 38: Simple Cheesy Pasta, Complex Macaroni Cheese

"Cheat!" I hear you say - Well, not really. When you think about it all recipes are loosely based off one another. So in this blog entry I am going to provide the simple, 10 minute Macaroni Cheese and the more complex one, which I also have tried but on more rare occasions as it takes a bit longer and to be honest if I am grasping at straws for a meal - I generally want the quick version!
I haven't included mushrooms in either recipe as I am not a huge fan on fungi, but obviously this can be added aswell.

Recipe 37: Simple Cheesy Pasta

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp chilli powder 
2 cups grated tasty cheese
1 cup shredded ham
2 cups of cooked pasta (e.g. spirals, macaroni, penne)
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cook until frothy.
2. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until sauce boils and thickens.
3. Reduce heat, add chilli and grated cheese. When cheese has melted, add ham and cooked pasta, stir to combine.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste serves 4

Recipe 38: Complex Macaroni Cheese

2 tbsp butter2 tbsp plain flour
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 cups grated tasty cheese
1 cup shredded ham

2 cups of cooked pasta (e.g. spirals, macaroni, penne)
1 cup breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and cook until clear.Stir in flour and cook until frothy.
2. Add mustard powder, gradually add milk, stirring constantly until sauce boils and thickens.
3. Remove from heat, add 1 cup grated cheese.  When cheese has melted, add ham and cooked pasta, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. pour mixture into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle the cup of breadcrumbs over the the top of the mixture and add the remaining cheese to the top aswell.
5. Cook at 190c for 20 minutes or until golden and heated through. serves 4

 

Recipe 34, 35, 36 - Friendship Cake

It gets to a stage where simple cookies and slices from the supermarket just does not cut it when you want to something special for your friends. On Friday I was invited over to a friends place, who always puts on a spread for me and others when we are over. I feel bad when I show up there empty handed all the time and so decided on Thursday night that I would bring something to her instead (Also helps when I am a few recipes behind in the blog as well!).

So here is Recipe 34, 35 and 36. Friendship Cake, Mock cream and White icing. My friendship cake is based very loosely off the lemon madiera cake - this is my own recipe!
(I deem this my "Friendship cake" as I had no idea how this would turn out and only a friend would eat it- regardless of how bad it was. But in truth it came out very well!)

Friendship Cake

Friendship Cake 1st Stage - cooked!

200g butter softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp lemon rind
2 tsp lemon juice
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp Baking powder


METHOD

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in lemon rind.
2. In a separate bowl beat eggs until thick 
3. Sift flour and baking powder together
4. Add the flour mixture and egg mixture into the creamed mixture alternately. Just as you are about to add the final amount of egg, also add the lemon juice.
5. Stir to mix.
6. Spoon the mixture into a greased lined 20 cm square cake tin. Bake at 180c for 40 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched (sometimes depending on the oven this may take a bit longer - mine takes closer to 50 minutes)
7. Take out of oven and leave in its tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

After the cake has cooled for a couple of hours, slice into two horizontally and add the mock cream

Mock Cream

100g butter, softened
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla essence (or 1 tsp grated lemon rind)

METHOD

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
2. Add milk and vanilla (or lemon rind)
3. With an electric beater beat until thick and pale like cream (this took close to 10 minutes to get the right thickness)

After the mock cream has been made, spread evenly over the bottom half of the cake and with care, place the top back on the cake. It is now ready to have the final touches!

White Icing

2 cups icing sugar
1/4 tsp butter, softened
2 tbsp water (approx)
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add butter.
2. Add sufficient water to mix into a spreadable consistency. Flavour with vanilla essence.

This icing comes out white, so you can add any food colouring to it to get a pretty colour. I used yellow for my cake. This recipe for icing is so basic you can just replace the vanialla essence and add something else to get different flavours. e.g. cocoa for chocolate icing, instant coffee (dissolved in the water) to get coffee flavour, orange rind, the list goes on.

Finally to add to the look of the cake, I used marshmallows and yellow M&M's to creat flowers. By cutting one marshmallow horizontally 4 times (once in half and then those halves in half again) you get beautiful petal shapes. Then add a yellow M&M in the middle and Voila! You get the first and completed image :)
 

Recipe 33: Quick Stew - Joss Style

I used to love steak. Growing up on a farm allowed me to appreciate meat- knowing where it came from, how the animal was raised and ultimately how it was culled. However, ever since my pregnancy I cannot stomach the thought of steak. I can handle meat in stews etc, but not by itself.

So when hubby cooked up rump steak last night, I could barely stomach the thought of eating it. I didn't want to waste it, so what was left (which wasn't much after the man had a go at it) was quickly and easily made into a stew for lunch. 

Quick Stew

Left over meat - chopped
Frozen mixed vegetables
Boiled Potatoes (again left over from the night before)
1 tsp Gravy mix (or cornflour to thicken up)
1 cup Water
Pepper and Salt (for taste)
1 tsp Chilli powder



METHOD

1. Add Chopped meat with water bring to boil
2. Reduce heat and add frozen mixed vegetables, also add chopped potatoes. Cook for 6 minutes at a simmer until the veges are cooked.
3. Add 1 tsp chilli powder and 1 tsp Gravy mix (I use gravox) to make a thick sauce (add more water if you want it more runny). Taste and add salt and pepper for taste.

Fail!!

I don't want to put this on my blog, but as I mentioned in my first ever post for this challenge - all recipes tried regardless of how they turn out, will go up here.
The one thing I can be proud of is that I can bake. I can cook excellent cakes and cookies, in fact a lot of the time I make my own recipe up. So to have a cake FAIL as badly as this one did has me completely stumped as to what went wrong.

Marble Cake

3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g butter melted
2 tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp coca
2 to 3 red food colouring.

METHOD

1. Beat eggs until thick. Gradually beat in sugar until mixture is very thick and white.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together and then fold into egg mixture.
3. Fold in butter and boiling water.
4. Divide mixture into three equal parts. Into one-third stir the cocoa, to the another third the red food colouring and leave the last third plain.
5. Spoon the mixture in diaginal stipes into a greased and lined 20cm square cake tin. 
6. Using a knife twirl together the three mixtures. 
7. Bake at 190c for 20-25 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Leave in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. 

It's such a simple recipe so I am completely baffled as to why it failed like it did. I did try a new tin (one of those silicone ones) this time- wondering if the heat of a normal tin dissipates with these silicone ones so it doesn't get so hot? Going to have to try my neverfail cake and then at least I will be able to work out what went wrong.

Leftover magic

Yesterday we were lucky enough to catch up with family who we haven't see in 5 months. Roast chicken buns for lunch and so much leftover, that again hubby had chicken sandwiches for dinner and lunch today!

Already due to this challenge I have discovered with a few key ingredients in the house a yummy meal is not far away. This particular meal goes to show that a creamy pasta does not need to go to your ass and you don't need to add chicken either for this pasta to be nice. It is also a 10 minute meal - which is brilliant.

Lefties Creamy Carbonara

300g fettuccine
4 rashers of bacon, chopped
1 onion, finely diced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup carnation light and creamy evaporated milk
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp parmesan
Leftover chicken

METHOD

1. Cook pasta according to directions on the packet.
2. Heat fry pan, add bacon ad oio, cook 3 minutes, then add mushrooms and left over chicken, cook for a further minute.
3. Add combined carnation light and creamy evaporated milk and cornflour (using the above trick of the trade), bring to boil, stirring, add pasta, remove from heat.
4. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately. Serves 4

Recipe 30: Angel hair pasta with Garlic and Olive oil

Only six recipes behind.... May have to get creating this week with some more recipes- can't have my husband beating me on this resolution!
Recipe 30 is a 10 minute easy meal. Apart from Jamie Oliver, one of my other favourite chef's is Ed Halmagyi or "Fast Ed" and this is one of his.
I love quick and easy meals especially when its a quarter to 6 on a weekday and the husband is due to walk in at 6pm!

Angel hair pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil

6 cloves Garlic
6 anchovy fillets
2 lemons
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
800g dried angel hair pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 red chilli, finely diced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper


METHOD

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Peel and chop the garlic very finely, Chop the anchovies very finely as well.
2. Set a frying pan over a medium heat, whilst this is heating, grate the lemon zest finely, then halve the lemons.
3. Drop the angel hair pasta in the boiling water and stir well - this will take only 4 minutes to cook.
4. Pour the olive oil into the pan and add the garlic, anchovies and lemon zest. Stir well then add the breadcrumbs  to the mix and stir.
5. Drain the pasta (after the 4 minutes) thoroughly and toss into the pan.
6. Stir in the chilli, parmesan and parsley. Squeeze the lemon juice in and season with salt and pepper. - serves 4

Something a little bit flashy

Have realised that you don't need to be slogging away in the kitchen to make something that will impress. This recipe takes less than 10 minutes and I cannot believe how well it goes down with visitors. Only problem is, just like the title states of this post, it is a little bit flashy in terms of $$$. So in truth, this is something I put together when we used to be DINK's (double income, no kids).

Prosciutto sticks with grilled Pear, Honey and Walnut salsa

16 fine slices prosciutto
16 Italian breadsticks (thin sticks)
2 firm pears
1/4 cup walnuts
1 spring onion
1/4 bunch mint
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2 tbsp honey


METHOD

1. Using a sharp knife halve the prosciutto slices lengthways. Wrap each breadstick with two prosciutto halves.
2. Heat a ribbed griddle (a pan with ridges) over a medium heat, whilst heating, peel the pears, quarter them and remove the stems and seeds. Lay the pear slices on the griddle (or pan if you don't have a griddle) and cook for 2 minutes until lightly caramelised (a nice golden brown colour).
3. Chop the walnuts, finely dice the spring onions and mint. Combine the spring onions, walnuts, mint with the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Do taste this salsa and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
4. Lay four breadsticks on each serving plate and garnish with two pear quarters. Drizzle with honey and garnish with salsa.

Recipe 28: Fish cooked in Yoghurt (doi maach)

My goodness, I am so far behind already! I should be up to recipe number 36 by now if I am to make my goal of 208 by the end of the year.
Luckily enough this week has been great for creations, including a fish curry that didn't turn out so fabulous. I followed it to a T, it tasted pretty good, but was just not to our tastes. I love the recipe book though, so no doubt I will try a few more from the collection - "50 great curries of India by Camellia Pajabi"

This fish curry is from Bengal and is usually made with carp. Apparently only in Bengal is where you will find fish ad yoghurt cooked together.

Doi Maach

Doi Maach

600g  pieces of fish
1 1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp tumeric powder
2 tsp mustard powder
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp chopped ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic
5 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 green chilli, finely diced
1 cinnamon stick
5 green cardamoms
3 cloves
2 medium onions, finely diced
200ml whipped full fat yoghurt
3/4 tsp sugar
2 tomatoes diced
3 tbsp sultanas (soaked in water) 

METHOD

1. Skin and wash the fish well. Mix 1/2 tsp salt with the lemon juice and smear over the fish. Leave for 30 minutes, then rinse.
2. Mix all the 5 spice powders and the ginger and garlic with 100ml of water to make a spice mixture.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and add the fennel seeds, chopped green chilli, cinnamon and cardamoms. After 30 seconds, add the cloves. After 10 seconds add the onions and fry till light brown (this will take about 10 minutes). Add the spice mixture and cook on a low heat until most of the moisture has dried up. Then saute the spices for 2 more minutes, stirring continuously. 
4. Add 2 tbsp water and cook for 1 minute, then pour in 200ml of water and simmer for 10 minutes, so that the onions soften and the spices cook properly.
5. Turn the heat down very low, add the whipped yoghurt and stir continuously for 3 minutes. Add the sugar, tomatoes and up to 200ml of water, depending on the gravy required and 1 tsp salt and stir well. Put the fish in gently and cook for 3 minutes, before turning the pieces over. Add the sultanas after 3 minutes and cook, uncovered, until the fish is perfectly done.

Recipe 27: Sweet Runner Bean Stew

This stew goes fabulous with grilled fish or by itself. I use it as a lunch as a main and for dinners as a side dish with grilled fish resting on top. If you don't have fresh rosemary, just use a couple of teaspoons of dried rosemary instead.

Sweet Runner Bean Stew

600g runner beans, trimmed
olive oil
1x 100g jar of anchovy fillets, in oil
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 dried red chilli, crumbled
2 x 400g tins of crushed tomatoes
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon


METHOD

1. Heat a large saucepa, big enough to hold all the ingredients, and add 2 tbsp of olive oil plus the oil from the jar of anchovies.
2. Chop four of the garlic cloves and fry them gently with the anchovies and dried chilli until it all goes soft and the anchovies break down into a mush. 
3. Pour  in the crushed tomatoes and add the beans and rosemary.
4. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. 
5. Place a lid on the pan and simmer gently for 12 to 15 minutes or until the beans are nicely cooked. (If the sauce gets a little dry, add a splash of water and give the beans a stir)