Weekend Herb Blogging #135

Wandering Chopsticks is the host of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've returned with some more potatoes - this time it's another purple variety called Sapphire.

Sapphire is a purple skinned potato with a mottled interior and I have already used this previously in the dish of Pizzocheri Valtellina. It is not as mealy as the Purple Congo so it is well suited for use in potato salads.

The recipe this week comes from Shannon Bennett's latest book My French Vue and it is one of his light lunch offerings - a potato and caper terrine. While the original recipe calls for Kipflers I've changed that to be an even split between the Sapphire and Kipfler potatoes - the curly endive salad has been replaced with a bit of crunch in the form of very finely shredded cabbage. The final touch is a just cooked egg.

Potato and Caper Terrine
[Serves 2]

2 Sapphire potatoes
2 Kipfler potatoes
1 shallot, finely diced
2 tablespoons pancetta lardons, fried
2 tablespoons tiny salted capers, rinsed
2 anchovies, crushed
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
4 tablespoons finely shredded cabbage
2 eggs

Boil or steam the potatoes until tender. Cool slightly before peeling and then cut into medium sized pieces.

Place the potato pieces into a bowl along with the shallots, capers and lardons - toss the mixture to combine.

In a small bowl, add the mayonnaise and anchovies - stir this well to amalgamate before adding it to the potato mixture. Stir again, crushing the potatoes slightly as you do - sprinkle over with half the shredded cabbage and just gently fold it through.

Divide the mixture into two and using an egg ring, place it in the centre of your serving plates. Press the potato into the egg ring to form a compact terrine.

Remove the egg ring and top with the remaining shredded cabbage and finally, a just cooked egg.

In the recipe, Shannon tops his terrine with just the egg yolk - the egg yolk in simmered in 60°C/140°F oil for about 4 minutes or until the yolk has just warmed through.

I've taken a different approach and cooked the egg, using the egg ring again to form the shape, over a very low heat until the white has just set on the base. I've then taken it off the heat, sprinkled over a little sea salt flakes and then covered the ring with a lid and let the pan heat continue to set the white without hardening the yolk.

With the white fully set, slide it onto a wide spatula and position it onto the formed terrine - use the egg ring to keep it on the terrine while you slip the spatula away - once in place, remove the egg ring.

The final thing left to do is slice the yolk and enjoy!

Cheese: Barossa Valley Cheese Company

It's been a while between cheese and I'm back with one of the smallest specimens I've seen.

Babybert is a Baby Camembert produced by the Barossa Valley Cheese Company and it's surely a cheese meant to be enjoyed alone as it only weighs about 50 grams.


It's a fairly firm cheese to begin with - let it come to room temperature and it does soften becoming somewhat spongy rather than oozy. It also has those typical earthy, mushroom notes to its aroma.


Tastewise, it is quite smooth on the palette with an enticing creamy texture.

Other Barossa Valley Cheese Company offerings:
La Petite Princesse
Le Petit Prince
Washington Washrind

Fig Twist

Andrew is back hosting Waiter, There's Something in My... and this month he selected dried fruit and nuts as the theme.

This has provided another perfect excuse to explore Dean Brettschneider's Global Baker and make his Fig and Aniseed Scone Twist. As I'm not a huge fan of aniseed, I've omitted them from the recipe - if you like them, just add 1 teaspoon of crushed aniseeds to the filling.

Fig Twist
[Makes 2]

380 grams plain flour
30 grams caster sugar
25 grams baking powder
60 grams butter, cut into cubes, softened
190ml milk
1 egg
Filling
250 grams dried Turkish figs, chopped finely
50mls dark rum (I used Bundaberg Black)
50 grams melted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Egg Wash
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
Jam Glaze
4 tablespoons jam
2 tablespoon water

Make the filling:
You should make this the day before.
Place the figs, Rum, butter and cinnamon into a small bowl and stir well to combine. Cover and allow to sit overnight - the figs will absorb the rum.

The next day, if the mixture looks too chunky, then briefly pulse it in a food processor to get a spreadable consistency.

Make the Jam Glaze:
Make this while the twists are cooking.
Place the jam and water into a small pan and place over a medium heat - stir until the mixture comes to a boil and then remove from the heat.

Make the dough:
Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder into a bowl.

Add the butter and work in using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Lightly whisk the milk and egg and add to the flour mix, stirring until just combined. It's important that you avoid kneading the dough as this will cause it be tough.

Tip out onto a floured board divide into dough into two.

Roll out to form a 25cm/10inch square.

Brush the bottom edge (about 1cm/½ inch) with egg wash.

Spread the rest of the dough with half of the fig filling.

Roll the dough, swiss-roll style from the top edge towards the bottom edge.

Arrange the roll, so that the join is on one side an then cut through the center of the roll, leaving the top 2cm/1 inch uncut.

Turn these two strands so the cut side is facing you and then just twist one strand over the other - press the ends together firmly.

Repeat the process with the other half of the dough.

Place both twists on a baking paper lined tray - allow room for the twists to expand.

Brush each loaf liberally with egg wash and then let them rest for 15 minutes before cooking.

Cook in a preheated 180°C/350°F for about 30-35 minutes until golden and cooked through - turn the twists halfway through baking to ensure even colouring.

When done, remove from the oven and brush over with the jam glaze - they can now be placed on a wire rack to cool.

It does take a bit of effort not to eat it as soon as it comes out of the oven but it is a good idea to let to cool down a little. It looks very attractive as is but cutting it reveals its inner beauty

Enjoy it with nice cup of tea or coffee.

Polenta Taragna

A few weeks back I posted about Pizzoccheri, a pasta from Valtellina, a valley in the region of Lombardia. I've now found another product from Valtellina - Polenta Taragna

This speckled polenta is a blend of course ground corn flour and buckwheat - it tastes a bit nutty when compared to regular Polenta and the texture is a little more rougher. This isn't one the instant types of polenta so it will take around 30 minutes to prepare but it's time well spent.

I've teamed this polenta with a hearty Italian Sausage Ragú - for a non-meat option, this polenta is perfect served with a braise of mixed mushrooms.

Polenta Taragna with Sausage Ragù

1 brown onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
rosemary, finely chopped
celery leaves, finely chopped
250 grams mushrooms, cut into large pieces
6 Italian sausages, skinned, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes or 400 grams chopped fresh tomatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper
freshly grated Parmesan

Make the Sausage Ragú:

Place olive oil and a knob of butter into a large pot over a medium-low heat and when the butter has melted and has started to sizzle add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and rosemary. Stir this well and allow to cook slowly until the vegetables soften and start to colour. This should take around 15-20 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, stirring them through the mix and cook until they have slightly coloured.

Now add the sausage pieces a few at a time - stir this well but don't be rough as you want them to stay chunky.

When all the sausage has been added, stir through the tomato paste. Increase the heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes before adding the crushed tomatoes and celery leaves. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering make the Polenta.

Make the Polenta Taragna:

For 1oo grams of Polenta I used about 2 cups of water though the amount of water will depend on the polenta itself and will vary.

Place the water into a pan and place over a medium heat. When the water has started to bubble, sprinkle in the polenta. Start stirring and if the polenta seems to be too thick then add just enough water to slacken the mixture.

About half way through the cooking I added about 50 grams of cubed butter and a handful of grated Parmesan.

Near the end of the cooking time, stir through another handful of grated Parmesan - the final mix should be soft and creamy.

Assemble the dish:

Place the polenta into the base of an oven proof dish and then top with the Sausage Ragú. Sprinkle over with grated Parmesan and place in a preheated 180ºC oven - cook until the cheese has melted and then serve at once with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan.

Weekend Cookbook Challenge #28

It's been a little while since I last took part in a Weekend Cookbook Challenge but when I saw Sara had chosen the theme of TV Cooks I knew I could find something interesting lurking on my shelves.

Now there certainly was a large selection to choose from, Jamie, Nigella, Ramsay and his adversary Marco, Locatelli, Two Fat Ladies, Delia, the ever smiling Bill Granger even Keith Floyd and the Galloping Gourmet but eventually settled on English chef, Gary Rhodes.

The recipe I'm making comes from his book, At the Table and it proved to be a perfect companion to my Parsley Root Soup. These Goat cheese and Red Capsicum Pancakes are simple to make but utterly more-ish.

Goat Cheese and Red Capsicum Pancakes

[Makes about 12]

1 egg
150mls milk
125 grams self-raising flour
1 tablespoon mashed potato (I used mashed parsley root)
1 small red capsicum (bell pepper), very finely diced
1 tablespoon spring onion, very finely sliced
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
75 grams Goat Cheese, broken into small pieces (I used Meredith Dairy Goat Cheese)
salt and freshly ground white pepper

Whisk the egg lightly with the milk and then add the mashed potato, red capsicum and spring onion - whisk briefly to incorporate. Season with a little white pepper and salt.

Sift the flour and add it to the egg mixture along with the grated Parmesan. Stir until the flour and cheese have been absorbed and then gently fold in the goat cheese.

The final mixture is thick but spreadable and I found using about a quarter cup of mixture produced a pikelet sized pancake.

Use a heavy-based non-stick or cast iron pan to cook the pancakes - I have a small cast iron skillet that I make all my pancakes and pikelets in as I find it transfers the heat evenly and enables the pancakes to cook beautifully. If you like to form really round pancakes, use a well greased egg ring to help form the shape.

Weekend Herb Blogging #134

Cate from Sweetnicks is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've found some Parsley Root

It does look a lot like a parsnip but just one look at the attached foliage and it's real identity becomes obvious



Both the root and the leaves are edible - taste-wise, the root has elements of celeriac, parsnip and apple while the leaves are exactly like herb parsley. For a longer life, you should keep the leaves attached and only remove them when its time to use the root.


While it isn't necessary to peel the root I have in the case of the dish I've made - a simple but creamy Parsley Root Soup.



Parsley Root Soup
[Serves 4 as a starter]

1 parsley root, peeled, cut into small chunks (300 grams)
1 potato, peeled, cut into small chunks (150 grams)
1 leek, finely diced (50 grams)
milk
salt and freshly ground white pepper

As with most of the pure vegetable soups I make these days, I use milk rather than stock. I find it really accentuates the natural flavours of the vegetable and gives the soup a delicious creamy texture.

Place a knob of butter in a saucepan over a low heat and when melted add the leek. Allow the leek to soften but not colour and after about 5 minutes add in the parsley root - stir it well and then add the potato. Give it a brief stir and then add enough milk to cover the vegetables completely.

Let this simmer very slowly until the vegetables have completely softened.

Strain, reserving the liquid and place the solids into a blender - process until smooth adding back the liquid to create a smooth base.

If you like a velvety texture then I would recommend passing this mixture through a fine mesh sieve.

The soup at this stage will be quite thick - add back enough milk until it reaches your perferred consistency. Taste and then season with salt and pepper as desired.

Place it back on a low heat and allow it to come back to serving temperature - remove from heat and serve at once.

Lemon Curd

With the arrival of the first flush of lemons from my mother's tree, it's the prefect time to indulge in some home-made Lemon Curd.

The method I use is from Stephanie Alexander and it simplifies the whole curd making procedure so that anyone can make this is luscious treat in under 15 minutes!

Lemon Curd

4 egg yolks
150 grams caster sugar
100 mls lemon juice
70 grams butter, cut into small cubes

Place the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and beat using an electric mixer until the sugar has dissolved. You'll know when the sugar is dissolved when the mix no longer feels gritty when rubbed between your finger tips.

Put this mixture in a small saucepan along with the lemon juice and butter and place over a low heat. Whisk constantly until it almost reaches boiling point - you'll notice that it will begin to thicken quite quickly and at this stage take it off the heat. At this stage it will have the consistency of a thick custard.

Once off the heat, whisk again and then pour it immediately into hot, sterilised jars. Seal and allow to cool and then store in the fridge.



Pixie from You Say Tomahto, I Say Tomayto and Rosie from Rosie Bakes a Peace of Cake are co-hosting an event called Putting Up in which we're asked to share our favourite preserve - I hope they will enjoy this tangy offering.



Curd

No Croutons Required - Cheese

Holler is back hosting No Croutons Required - a monthly event in which either soup or salad is celebrated. This month Holler has asked us to whip up a salad with cheese.

I suppose I should start with the cheese:

This is the Meredith Dairy Goats Cheese marinated with herbs, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Packaged as large chunks, it's a soft and creamy cheese with a pleasant tang that tends to crumble when cut.



As a cheese, it is one that you can easily enjoy on its own with just some crusty bread so for me, it needs to be an equal partner in any dish.

I've selected baby beetroot as a match for this cheese



and created a simple warm salad of roasted baby beetroot and goat cheese served with shredded beetroot leaves and a dressing of roasted beet juices and olive oil.



Roasted Baby Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad

baby beetroot, cleaned
olive oil
garlic cloves
salt flakes
reserved baby beetroot leaves, shredded
Meredith Dairy Marinated Goats Cheese

Cook the beetroot:

I buy baby beetroot in bunches and they are sold with their stems and leaves attached - when choosing, look for one with fresh, crisp leaves that don't show signs of wilting.

Cut the stems about an inch from the beetroot - reserve the stems and leaves. If you are looking for something to do with either, consider this pasta recipe.

Place the cleaned beetroot in a bowl, along with a few cloves of garlic (don't bother removing the skin), a drizzle of olive oil and a generous sprinkling of sea salt flakes. Toss to ensure the beetroot is well coated.

Take a piece of foil about the size of a baking tray and cover it with a similiar sized sheet of baking paper - tumble the beetroot mixture into the centre



and seal the edges to form a package.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven until the beetroot are tender. The time taken will depend on the size of the beetroot.

Inside the package you'll find that a wonderful beetroot coloured and flavoured juice has formed - pour all the juice out into a small bowl. Take one of the garlic cloves and squeeze it out of its skin - mash it to a paste and add it back to the juice. Add a little more extra virgin olive oil to form a dressing - taste and adjust for seasoning.

Once the beetroot have cooked, it's important that you peel them while they are still warm as the skin tends to stick as it cools.

Cut the beetroot into bite-sized wedges and place them into a bowl. Add a tiny spoonful of dressing, just enough to give the beetroot a bit of shine.

Assemble the salad:

If I was to add the cheese directly to the beetroot it would become beetroot coloured and you just wouldn't be able to recognise it in the dish.

I've presented this in a more organised manner, keeping the ingredients separate but binding them with the dressing.

Take a serving plate and casually arrange the beetroot pieces on it, followed by roughly broken pieces of Goat Cheese - finish with a scattering of the beetroot leaves.

Give the dressing a little whisk and then drizzle it over all the ingredients.



Served in this manner, this makes for a colourful and tasty starter.

Salad

Weekend Herb Blogging #133

Gay from A Scientist in the Kitchen is the host of this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have that green jewel of a nut - pistachio

I have in an earlier WHB featured fresh Pistachio but as that brief season is long gone, it's back to the more common dried versions.

There does seem to be a few research papers indicating that Pistachios can be quite good for you - they aid in the improvement of the cardiovascular system, relieve stress and decrease the levels of bad cholesterol. They also have high levels of Lutein - an important antioxidant in the fight against macular degeneration.

Nutrionally these small nuts pack a punch - they contain Vitamins A, B6,C, E, and K, Betaine, Choline, Folate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, and Thiamin along with Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Sodium and Zinc.

For this week's recipe I've delved into one of my latest acquisitions, Dean Brettschneider's Global Baker and pulled out the most amazing recipe for Pistachio and White Chocolate Cookies. Now, I'm sure that since pistachios are so good for us, that these cookies surely can't be all bad.

Pistachio and White Chocolate Cookies
[Makes about 42 cookies]

140 grams softened butter, cut into cubes
100 grams caster sugar
100 grams soft dark brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons milk
vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
150 grams plain flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
50 grams rolled oats
60 grams pistachio nuts, chopped roughly
140 grams white chocolate, chopped roughly (I used Lindt)
slivered pistachio nuts, extra

Put the softened butter, caster and brown sugar into a bowl and using an electric mixer, beat until creamy and light. You'll have to scrap down the sides of the bowl a few times to ensure an even result.

Place the egg, milk and vanilla bean paste or extra into a small bowl - whisk together with a fork and then add to the creamy butter mixture. Continue beating until it has been absorbed.

Double sift the plain flour together with the baking powder and baking soda and on a low speed add this along with the oats to the creamed mixture. Beat until almost incorporated, toss in the nuts and chocolate and while still on the lowest speed, beat until just mixed through.

The book recommends a weight of 35 grams for each cookie but I felt this was just too large - I've used a small ice-cream scoop to scoop out the dough and the resulting balls weigh around 20 grams.

Sprinkle the top of each ball with a little of the extra slivered pistachios - If you want a more even spread of pistachio I would add them halfway through the cooking time.

Space them well apart on baking paper lined trays as they will spread and bake in a preheated 170°C/340°F oven for about 10 minutes - if you want them crunchy rather than soft and chewy you'll need to bake them for a few minutes more.

Let them cool on the tray for a few minutes before moving them onto a wire rack to cool completely - they are very pliable straight out of the oven.



I'd like to finish by adding that this marks a bit of a milestone for me - my 100th WHB posting!

It was a surprise, when organising photos in Flickr, to find that my WHB set was at 99 photos - so to mark the occasion I made a little mosaic.





The last 100 were tasty and colourful and I hope the next 100 will be just as enjoyable.

Weekend Herb Blogging

Presto Pasta Night #63

It's Friday and time for another edition of Presto Pasta Night hosted by Ruth from Once Upon A Feast.

This week I'll be using these dried lasagna sheets

but not to make a traditional lasagne.

I've opted for a more free-form style to produce a somewhat lighter dish. A mix of mushrooms are sautéed with garlic, onion and pine nuts and then finished with a little crème fraîche to create a bit of a sauce.

The cooked lasagna sheet is folded in thirds with a combination of mushroom and ripped bocconcini forming the filling on each of the three folds. It's finally given a light dusting of grated parmesan and then baked in the oven until the bocconcini begins to melt and the top browns.

Mixed Mushroom Free-Form Lasagne

lasagne sheets, cooked
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
portobello mushrooms, sliced
swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
oyster mushrooms, sliced
shimenji mushrooms
pinenuts, handful
crème fraîche (or cream)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
bocconcini, roughly torn (or mozzarella)
finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Slowly sauté the onion and garlic in a little olive oil and butter until softened.

Remove the onions from the pan, increase the heat and sauté the various mushrooms - it's best done this way as I don't want the mushrooms to stew, but I do want to give them some colour.

When the mushrooms are nicely coloured, return the onion mixture to the pan along with a handful of pine nuts - turn down the heat and cook for a few more minutes. The mushrooms will now release some of their excess moisture and this will be used to help form the sauce.

As a final touch, remove from the heat and stir through a spoonful of crème fraîche, taste and then season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Assemble the dish:

Take one sheet of cooked lasagna sheet and place on a baking paper lined oven tray.

Place a good spoonful of the mushroom mixture over one-third of the sheet, top with a little ripped bocconcini.

Fold the pasta sheet back over the filling.

On this flat surface add a little more of the mushroom mix with a little more ripped bocconcini.

Fold the remaining pasta back over itself.

You will have an s-shaped stack.

Top with a little more mushroom along with some grated Parmesan.

Bake in a preheated 160°C/320°F oven until heated through and the bocconcini has melted.

For me, this dish just speaks of autumn, flavoursome and nourishing without being too heavy - a perfect treat for a weekend lunch.

Pasta

Blog Party #34

Stephanie always comes up with the most interesting themes for Blog Party and this month is no exception. In honour of all things Slayer, we've been invited to join in The Buffy Bash.

As always, we are asked to provide a drink and something to eat and my offerings are these Spicy Skewered Prawns and to drink, Bluddy Slayah

Blog Party

Spicy Skewered Prawns

Since Buffy spent a lot of her time "skewering" vamps, I think she might enjoy these skewered prawns for a change.

To give them a touch of heat, I've used Harissa paste which also tends to give it a little red colour too.

Spicy Skewered Prawns

whole prawns, peeled with tail left intact
fresh coriander leaves
fresh parsley leaves
olive oil
harissa

Make the spicy paste:

Use equal quantities of coriander and parsley and process until they are finely chopped. Add the harissa, to taste, along with olive oil and pulse to form a spreadable paste.

Prepare the Prawns:

Make sure your have removed the intestinal tract from the prawns, along with head and outer shell but do leave the tail intact.

Take a wooden skewer and thread it through the centre, lengthways, to give you a straight prawn.

Place the prawns into a flat dish and generously spoon over the spicy paste - turn the prawns around to ensure then are completely covered.

You can set this aside, covered, in the fridge to allow the flavours to develop or you can cook them straight away.

Cook the prawns:

You can cook them on a BBQ, grill pan or flat plate. As they are flat they will cook very evenly, as soon as one side has browned, turn them over to colour and then remove them. They shouldn't take more than a minute or two to be cooked to perfection.

Serve them hot.

Prawns

Bluddy Slayah

For a Buffy Bash, the beverage should be blood red but I think this more girly shade would fit in just as well.

Bluddy Slayah
[Makes 1]

30mls Lemon Vodka
10mls Lemon juice
mixed berry juice
handful ice cubes

• Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until frothy.

• Pour into a tall glass and serve at once.

Cocktail

Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

I think a love for chocolate and hazelnut must have be programmed into the Italian DNA and when I first saw this recipe in the April edition of Taste Italia I just had to make it.

It may have been originally intended as a substitute for Easter eggs but it works equally well as an alternative to boxed chocolate for Mother's Day too.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake
180 grams butter, cut into cubes and softened
120 grams caster sugar
5 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract120 grams 00 plain flour
60 grams cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
180 grams chopped roasted hazelnuts
icing sugar, for dusting


Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa together into a bowl.

Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the vanilla extract and 1 egg and continue beating until the egg has been incorporated.

Add the second egg and when it has been incorporated add 2 tablespoons of the sifted flour mixture.

Continue adding the remaining eggs, one at a time and when all have been added, fold the flour through the batter with a metal spoon.

Finally stir the hazelnuts through the mix and then pour into a buttered and floured 20cm/8inch cake pan.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for 40-50 minutes or until firm to the touch.

Let it cool in the tin before removing.

Sift over with icing sugar and serve.



Cake

Happy Mother's Day

Weekend Herb Blogging #132

Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska is the host of this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have a vegetable that makes winter worthwhile - Green Peas

Shelling peas would probably be one of my earliest vivid memories - my mother would be tending to the rest of the preparations for the meal and I would be in my little half apron sitting by the table with a huge bowl of peas in front of me. With a colander on my lap to collect the peas, I'd break open the pods at a bit of a height just to hear them pinging against the metal.

When it came to deciding what to make, I really couldn't go past one of my mother's recipes for peas. It's very simple and can be done with or without tomatoes - I've elected to make the version without tomatoes.

The base for both versions is a slow braise of onion, garlic and pancetta and when that has softened and browned, the peas are added. It's then a matter of adding either water or enough diced tomatoes to just cover the peas. Cook it slowly until the peas are just tender and the liquid has reduced. Season to taste and I can guarantee this is one side-dish you'll never have leftover.

Braised Peas with Pancetta and Onions

250 grams fresh peas, shelled weight (you can substitute frozen peas - no need to defrost, add them straight from the freezer)
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
pancetta, cut into lardons
salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

Place a little oil and a small knob of butter in a skillet over a medium heat. When the butter has melted add the pancetta and cook until it has started to brown. Turn the heat down low and add the sliced onion and garlic - stir well and let it cook it very slowly until it has softened and become golden.

During the slow cooking the onion will almost break and release it's juices - it's at this stage that you add the shelled peas along with just enough water to barely cover them.

Simmer until the peas are almost cooked, turn up the heat slightly to reduce the excess liquid. Season to taste and then serve at once.

Serve this alongside a good creamy mashed potato and you'll be wanting seconds.

Weekend Herb Blogging

Presto Pasta Night #62

Finally I've managed to organise myself to have something ready for Presto Pasta Night, graciously hosted by Ruth from Once Upon A feast.

This week I've got an unusual pasta

They are called Pizzoccheri and are a short cut flat noodle - they come from Valtellina, a valley in the region of Lombardia close to the border of Switzerland. The distinctive texture and colour is due to the mix of flours used in the dough - they are made from a roughly even mix of Buckwheat flour, Durum Semolina and Durum Wheat Bran with just enough water to bind the ingredients. They are made without salt, oil or eggs.

I enjoyed these at a meal at The Grand and just fell in love with the traditional way they are served. It's simple but full of flavour - a sage brown butter sauce forms the base to which cubes of potato, cabbage and taleggio are added.

I thought I might add a bit of colour by using Sapphire potato

It's a purple potato but what makes it different is its internal markings. The skin is a deep purple and when peeled you are confronted by white flesh. It's only when you cut through the centre that you can appreciate its beauty. As the potatoes for this dish are cut into cubes I should be able to maintain that mottled look.

The recipe is a bit vague as it's something that you can make by eye and with your own preferences in mind.

Pizzoccheri Valtellina
[Serves 2]

Pizzoccheri
butter
fresh sage leaves
2 garlic cloves, sliced finely
1 potato, peeled, cut into small dice
cabbage, thickly sliced, handful
taleggio, diced

Place a few generous knobs of butter into a skillet and place on a low heat - it's important that you do this slowly and that you not skimp on the butter as it will form the sauce.

Once the butter has melted add the sliced garlic and sage leaves and stir keeping the flame as low as possible. You don't want the garlic to brown, you want it to take it's time and soften and end up almost melting into the butter - the sage leaves will become wonderfully crisp during the long cooking time and intensify in colour.

Blanch the cabbage in the boiling pasta water for 30 seconds and then remove.

Blanch the potato cubes in the same water until they are almost soft but still have a little bite left to them - drain them and set aside.

When the pasta is almost ready add the potatoes to the butter mix and continue on a low simmer until they have finished cooking - add the cabbage and toss through before finally adding a little taleggio.

Stir and you'll notice that the taleggio will melt and form a sauce.

When the pasta has cooked, drain and add them to the sauce. Toss them well and add a few more pieces of taleggio.

Serve at once.



It's a hearty dish so a little will go a long way.

Change of Plans

I had thought that all the issues had been resolved regarding the domain change for this blog but a rather unforeseen problem has cropped up - the end result is that email associated with my domain is borked!

Unfortunately it is my business email and the way google deals with the redirect means that my email ends up floating somewhere in the ether.

The end result is that until we can find some kind of solution to this I've had to return this blog back to its blogspot address.

Cherry and White Chocolate Muffins

Michelle from Greedy Gourmet hosts a monthly event called Snackshots and this month the theme was Muffins.

I haven't made muffins in ages, Nigella's cupcakes have been my latest temptation, so this is a great excuse to bring out the muffin pans and correct the situation.

One of my favourite muffins that I like to treat myself to, are the raspberry and white chocolate ones from Rumbles Patisserie at Prahran Market. I especially love their use of large chunks of white chocolate, if you going to have chocolate make it big!

However, I haven't made raspberry and white chocolate muffins, I've made Cherry and White Chocolate Muffins.

Cherry season is long gone but I've used frozen cherries - naturally you can replace them with fresh or canned if you desire.

Cherry and White Chocolate Muffins
[Makes 10 large muffins]

300 grams plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
50 grams caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup/250mls milk
80 grams butter, melted and cooled
200 grams frozen cherries (don't defrost them)
100 grams white chocolate (I use Lindt)
pearl sugar, optional, for decoration

Mix together the plain flour, baking powder and sugar and then sift into a bowl.

Lightly whisk the eggs with the milk before stirring through the melted butter.

Pour into the flour mixture and stir until just combined - add the frozen cherries and chocolate and stir very briefly. The batter will develop a delicate pink hue from the cherries.

Scoop out into muffin cases - fill them about three-quarters full.

Sprinkle each muffin with a little pearl sugar if desired.

Bake in a preheated 180°C/350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until risen and golden brown.

Cool slightly in the pan before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

When warm they are a bit crumbly mainly due to the half melted chocolate but taste wise, you'll probably enjoy them more in this state.

Split them open and you'll find those large pieces of chocolate just calling out your name, in fact this one is screaming for me at the moment!

Muffins

Weekend Herb Blogging #131

The always affable Anh from Food Lovers Journey is our host for this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have a deliciously soft, sweet and sticky fruit, Medjool Dates

What's not to love about these plumb and succulent dates - they are perfect just savoured in this natural state.

Break one open and you'll find a long narrow pit that is easy to remove

The flesh is moist and fibrous with an intense richness to its flavour.

Nutritionally they contain Vitamins A, B6 and K, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin and Thiamin as well as Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

Since I do adore Medjool dates I thought I might try to use them in a dish that admittedly, I'm not fond of - that dish is Clafoutis. There's no logical reason for me to dislike it, it's made with eggs and cream, sort of like a custard but my experience with making them has turned me off them.

Perhaps it was just the recipe I used. So I've scoured my trusted sources and eventually came down to two choices - Michel Roux or Shannon Bennett. Ultimately the simplicity of Shannon's recipe won me over and there is the added bonus that is gluten-free!

You can find the original recipe here on the Vue de Monde website - I have made one obvious change in that dates have replaced the rum-soaked raisins and the other is in using mascarpone rather than double cream. Cooking time was also increased and needed close to double the time - the end result, well, you be the judge.

Medjool Date Clafoutis
[Serves 2]

3 Medjool dates, pitted and sliced
125ml mascarpone
4 teaspoons almond meal
15 grams caster sugar
1 egg

I've used a 15cm/6inch low-sided ramekin for this recipe.

Butter the base and sides of your baking dish well and then scatter over with the dates - be careful with the quantity of dates as they are quite sweet and when heated the flavour does intensify.

Place the remaining ingredients into a bowl and beat until just combined.

Pour the mixture evenly over the dates.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 165°C/325°F oven. After 25 minutes I found that the clafout