01 Saturday Mar 2014
Posted in Vegetarian
Tags
Agria potatoes sliced thin on a mandoline and stacked in a pie dish with a bit of melted butter, olive oil, sea salt, and crushed red pepper. A shallot was also sliced thin on a mandoline, then tucked in between slices of potato. Baked at 190C for 2 hours. After 1.5 hours, the potatoes were topped with sprigs of fresh thyme and returned to the oven for a further 30 minutes, until the potatoes were cooked through and the top nicely browned.
18 Monday Nov 2013
Posted in Fish
A couple weeks ago I participated in a Persian cookery workshop at Cook The Books. In class, we made a Za’atar, a spice mix consisting of sesame seeds, dried marjoram, dried oregano, sumac, dried thyme, and sea salt. Sumac has a citrus taste that I thought would go very well with fish.
I picked up fresh trevally fillets and a bag of baby spinach.
I made a potato salad with new season potatoes, capers, red onions, and olive oil.
The trevally fillets were rinsed with cold water and dried with kitchen paper, then seasoned with a liberal sprinkling of Za’atar. The fillets were gently panfried in butter until just translucent (do not overcook!), removed from the pan, and kept warm.
The baby spinach was then tossed into the same pan and wilted in the seasoned butter, then plated.
14 Sunday Jul 2013
Posted in Beef
Tags
It is winter and cold. A good time for a hearty braise.
I bought 4 beef cheeks and a kilogram of oxtail (about 3 large bits) and had a bit of fun in the kitchen.
Beef cheeks are a quite flavourful cut of meet, but do require a long, slow cooking. It is worth the wait.
I preheated my oven to 160C/325F
I browned a couple sides of each beef cheek in a hot skillet and set them aside.
In my largest Le Creusette cast iron cocotte, I warmed 2 tablespoons of olive oil and softened a medium onion cut in small dice over a low heat for 15 minutes. Then added two carrots cut in small dice and two celery ribs, also cut in small dice. I let them get happy together for about 10 minutes.
The beef cheeks and oxtail were added to the vegetables.
I then chucked in two fresh bay leaves and a handful of fresh thyme – both from The Potted Kitchen Garden, two small tins of chopped tomatoes, 250 mils of beef stock (preferably homemade, if possible), 1/2 a bottle of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfindel, and 2 tablespoons of good quality cocoa powder.
The pot was stirred until all the ingredients were reasonably well incorporated, then brought to a simmer on the hob.
When the pot began to simmer, I put on a tight fitting lid and bung the cocotte into the oven for about 3 hours, until the meat was very tender. Remember to check the pot every 20 minutes or so to be sure it is slowly bubbling away. If the liquid dries out, you can always add warm water or another splash of wine.
For the potato mash, I simmered two Agria potatoes in well salted water with two fresh bay leaves. When the potatoes were tender, I drained them well and removed the bay leaves. I added a knob of butter and the drained potatoes back to the pan over the lowest heat until they stopped steaming, then mashed them well with a potato masher. When the potatoes were the proper texture, I added a good A dollop of crème fraîche and salt to taste.
I plated the braised meat and potato mash on warm plates (important!) and served with a light side salad and a glass of California Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfindel.
A perfect winter dish. Delicious.
10 Sunday Mar 2013
Posted in Mexican
Tags
chiles anaheim, chipotle crema, corn, corn tortilla, feta, mexican, potato, roasted chiles, taco, the potted kitchen garden
I picked a few Anaheim chiles from The Potted Kitchen Garden. I was thinking tacos…
I roasted the chiles over a flame until charred, then skinned, deseeded, and diced the chiles.
I cut the kernels off a fresh ear of sweet corn and roasted them in a pan.
I cubed two potatoes and boiled them until al dente in salted water with 2 fresh bay leaves, 2 whole garlic cloves, and 6 whole black peppercorns, then drained them and removed the peppercorns and bay leaves.
I made 8 small corn tortillas.
I heated a large cast iron pan over medium heat, added a good knob of butter, and softened a diced onion. I then added the potatoes to the pan and let them cook with the onions for a few minutes.
The diced chiles and roasted corn were added and I let them get happy with the potatoes and onions before I tasted for salt and pepper, then removed from the heat and mixed through a healthy tablespoon of crème fraîche.
The tacos were served with a chipotle crema and crumbled feta.
20 Thursday Dec 2012
Posted in Fish
Tags
I stopped by the new Asian food centre and when I strolled passed the fishmonger I spotted some beautiful New Zealand Kingfish steaks for NZ$12.95/Kg! Well, I couldn’t pass up on such a great deal, so I bought two kingfish steaks for the grand total of NZ$6.00!
I pan seared the steaks with a liberal sprinkling of salt & pepper and paired the fish with sautéed potatoes and a courgette fresh from the kitchen garden.
Delicious!
15 Saturday Dec 2012
Posted in Fish
Tags
