Gooey Leek Risotto

When you have a spare leek or two lying around in preparation for the 5pm throw together, my first thought is leek risotto. This recipe has been adapted from the BBC Good Food website recipe.

Leek and Parmesan Risotto
Serves 2

25g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 leeks, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
75g short grain white rice
1 glass dry white wine (eg Chardonnay)
500ml vegetable stock
25g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Heat a large saucepan and add the butter and olive oil.
Toss in the spring onions, leeks and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. 
Add the rice and stir. Pour in the wine and simmer until reduced. 
Gradually add the stock, stirring until the rice is tender.
Stir in the Parmesan and season.


How easy is that! Plus it tastes delicious. I don't bother with arborio rice. It's too costly and short grain rice does a similar job.

 Also:   I am heading to Europe next week so you won't hear from me for the next month or so. However, watch out for my travel chronicles on my return. All the best with your cooking 'til then!

Steak... Good!

So I love meat (within moderation, of course). I can't go past a delicious steak sammy. This amazing marinade recipe allows the meat to taste perfect between two slices of bread, lettuce, tomato, aioli and caramelised onions! It originates from one of my favourite food magazines- Dish.

 













Marinade

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Steak

Place all ingredients in a plastic bag (with no holes) and close tightly. Shake the bag and leave to marinade for however long you like.
Heat in fry pan until desired pinkness reached.

 













I also have to share with you the recipe (also from Dish) for Caramelised Onions.

Caramelised Onions

2 tablespoons olive oil
knob of butter
2 onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Heat oil and butter in saucepan. Add onions, season, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover cover and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Yum yum yum!

Auckland etc.

The next destination on my travels was Auckland and it's surrounds. Being New Zealand's biggest city means there is a lot on offer. In fact, too many to mention! But here is a summary of my recommendations. Firstly, in Auckland city, are well known brands Milly's Kitchen shop and Nosh Food Market. Both offer a large assortment of goodies, and are locally owned and operated.

About an hour plus north of Auckland is the very popular Matakana region. There's the Matakana Farmers' Market on Saturdays, which is larger than most but easily compares to any other Farmers' Market in New Zealand. There are some great shops to explore and you can tell a lot of effort has been put into sprucing up the town- check put the public toilets! We had a coffee break at the Matakana Market Kitchen, and then an ice cream break at Blue. They stock delicious Oob ice cream- the licorice flavour comes highly recommended!

If you are looking for a day trip away from the main city, why don't you follow suit and make a trip out to Waiheke Island to sample the beautiful beaches and wineries. Our trip consisted of a visit to Te Motu vineyard and Stoneyridge vineyard. We sampled some cheese and soaked up the sun at the latter. I also came across a well stocked fruit and vege store, which housed some surprising treats. 

Traditional South African Food

I'm all about embracing cultures and the foods that accompany that. I myself was born in South Africa, a country that has had a particularly interesting history. And one that has involved different culinary influences. This dish is made up of many spices- arising from South Africa's Indian heritage. The mixture and proportions can be played around with to suit your taste. It is a delicious meal that would be prefect for a quick dinner on a winter's night. It is usually served with yellow rice (coloured by tumeric) and chutney.

Baboti

Serves 6 

2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

2 small onions, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1 handful raisins
2 tablespoons chutney
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
4 slices white bread, roughly chopped
500g mince
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Put in first 8 ingredients, warm thoroughly.

Add next 6 ingredients. Return to low heat and mix until bubbly.

Dampen bread with milk. Squeeze out excess milk and add to mixture. Stir well.

Add mince and cook for 15 minutes.

Fill a large oven-proof dish with the Baboti mixture.

Beat the egg with milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over Baboti mixture.

Bake at 180C for 45 minutes (until custard is golden).

The Lakes District

My most recent trip out of the ol' Ch-Ch was further south to Queenstown, and as has become habit I want to share with you a summary of my foodie discoveries. This part of the world is one of the most beautiful (and many tourists would agree). That's especially true when you're lucky enough to have perfect weather like we did. While still on the cold side, one cannot complain when there is constant sun this time of year.

So the tale begins... first on the list is The Remarkable Sweet Shop. There are stores in Queenstown and Arrowtown with sweets and treats from all over the world. We dived right into their fudge. The favourites were Creme Brulee (a classic), Jelly Tip and Red Velvet. I won't put photos up for risk of drooling onto the keyboard- and also that it went too quickly for any to be taken.

Next recommendation is any fruit stall from the Cromwell region. Maybe it was just the fact that Cromwell has a big statue of fruit which draws you in, but there must be something good about it. Our choice was Jones' Fruit Stall which had a large selection of dried and fresh fruit. Just make sure you get the freshest possible to lower the chance of wastage.

Another important part of one's diet is cheese. Naturally, this was high on the agenda. We visited Gibbston Valley Cheese, which is right next door to Gibbston Valley Winery. All of which are located on the main road to Queenstown. Soon after walking in we were flooded with samples (a good sign!- or maybe a good marketing ploy). In the end, we left with a smoked brie and a Kawarau blue cheese.

While not exactly in the Queenstown area, a must visit for me was the Barker's Store in Geraldine. I have a lot of respect for this company who have become a household name in New Zealand, and who are always developing new products. The store itself has a vast selection of products (all of which you can sample), and you can pick up some bargains like expired stock (only by a month or so) and product trials- e.g. a citrus curd made with lime.

And right next door is a cheese store called Curds and Whey who stock locally made cheeses- delicious! From there we picked up a Geraldine Vintage Cheddar, which includes a silver sticker. It was a great trip with a lot to discover. My goal next time is to hit the back roads and hopefully come across something amazing to share with you all- fingers crossed! But in the meantime and I can put my feet up at home and enjoy a scrummy assortment of cheeses.

(L-R): Smoked Brie, Kawarau Blue, Geraldine Vintage Cheddar

My First Italian Cooking Class

I have a love of Italian cuisine that cannot compare to any other. The pizza, pastas, salads, meats... all of them hit the spot. It was reasonable that the next step would be to take a cooking class in order to recreate some of those dishes in my little kitchen. The class of choice is through Risingholme Community Centre. The first class was held last week. The authentic Italian teacher, Brunella, taught us how to make 'Crostini ai Funghi' and 'Pasta alla Puttanesca'. According to Brunella the pasta dish means an easy dish for a women to cook, but I was later told by my learned mother that it means something quite different.... So in dedication to my love of Italian food, I present Crostini ai Funghi- recreated! A really delicious spread, which is so easy to make!

Crostini ai Funghi

20g butter
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
250g mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon vegetable stock
Freshly ground salt and pepper
75g cream cheese, or according to taste
(the recipe actually says 100ml cream but you can use cream cheese as an alternative)
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1 baguette, sliced
Edam cheese, grated (recipe says Mozzarella but didn't have any)

Melt the butter in a pan. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until tender.
Add mushrooms, parsley and stock, and cook on high until mushrooms are soft.
Reduce heat to low, add salt, pepper and cream cheese. Cook for another two minutes.
Put all into a food processor with parmesan and blend.
Toast baguette pieces in oven until crunchy. Spread mushroom dip on toasted bread and top with grated cheese. Top in oven until cheese is melted.

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Ginger.Love.Care. (New Zealand Food Blog)

Annabel's Quick Zucchini Fritters

I needed to use up a zucchini/courgette/long green thing, and given I was brought up never to waste food- off I went to my cookbooks. This recipe comes from Annabel Langbein's Free Range in the City. The word quick is understated. It's an extremely fast, tasty lunch. I do not, however, recommend that you squeeze out the liquid from the zucchini with a light coloured tea towel. It might turn green... just a bit.












Quick Zucchini Fritters

Makes 4 medium fritters

1 medium zucchini
1 egg
3 tablespoons self-raising flour
30g feta, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 clove garlic
Sprinkling of dried mint
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and pepper, freshly ground
Oil, for frying

Grate zucchini into a clean tea towel, pull up the sides and squeeze tightly to remove as much liquid as possible.
Mix egg and flour to make a thick, smooth batter. Add the courgette and the rest of the ingredients (except butter).
Melt the butter in the fry pan and spoon mixture into pan to make 4 fritters. Flatten slightly.
Cook fritters for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through the center.