Necessity is the mother of invention and this pesto is the result of a last ditch rescue mission in my crisper. There are a few of those happening lately. A Spaghetti Squash - more on that later - purchased from the same stand as those tomatillos, steamed up. A couple of frozen mackerel filets, pan fried. And the pesto, blended together in the blink of an eye. Fridge surprise lunch at its best. Rocket, Parsley & Pepita Pesto Rather than letting yet another couple bunches … [Read more...]
Smokey Chilli-Lime Hummus
My kitchen blender dramas have been well documented, but if you missed the various rants, in short at the end of last year both my immersion hand blender and mini-food processor went on to the big kitchen in the sky. As a result, for a little while I was without any way to make drinks, soups, spreads and cheesecake. First world problem? Yes, of course. But I do live in a first world country, and we do like our weekend smoothies. In any case, KitchenAid was kind enough to send me a hand … [Read more...]
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Of the things I miss most from America-land, proper Mexican food is pretty close to the top of the list. I crave the staff lunches made by the Mexican woman who was a prep chef in a Denver restaurant where I waited tables. The dark, 20+ ingredient mole poblano, the spicy rice, the salsas, the fresh vegetables, the hot tortillas. It was fresh and clean and filling. My eyes glaze over when I think about the road-side shops in Mexico where a $1.50 fish taco comes out of the kitchen as a … [Read more...]
Basil & Walnut Pesto
She unconsciously hummed along with the music playing in the background, humm de dum de da. It was from Milan she explained, as a smile triggered by an ancient memory flitted across her face. The heavy wooden chopping board belonged to her mother, the cleaver had been borrowed from my mother and the basil was picked just moments before from her own garden. Ro was chopping up herbs for pesto, again, it was the third time in two weeks. My grandmother still makes her pesto the old way. … [Read more...]
Rhubarb & Apple Spread. Or it is curd… or perhaps jam. No probably not jam, not really curd either…
One bunch of rhubarb well past its prime languished in my crisper. A few unsightly end of season apples picked up from the organic food store sat forlornly on the bench top. Cooking them down was the only option I could see. I haven't had much luck baking with rhubarb in the past. As a compote it works just fine but baked into anything it just never has any taste to me. Once I used it with with coconut and pear and produced a cake loaf that was so awful even toasting couldn't save … [Read more...]
Guacamole & Pico de Gallo – Afternoon Tea, Mexico-style
Having only just settled into our breathtaking room after roughly 8 hours of travelling we were surprised buy a knock at the door ... "Hola, buenos tardes - guacamole, salsa fresca, corn chips and cerveza for you. Welcome to Capella Pedregal." We stripped off our travelling clothes, grabbed the first swimsuits we could find, slipped into our balcony-plunge-infinity-pool and cracked open the beers. Bliss. Back home I eat avocado every day, however RJ has insisted for years he doesn't … [Read more...]
Lemon Curd – rules and bending the rules
Lemon Curd is one of those recipes that everyone has a spin - and an opinion - on. You should use whole eggs, you must only use egg yolks. You must adhere to x ratios of sugar to juice to make it very sweet, you must keep it tart. Use more butter, use less butter - mix it in before, mix it in at the end. Cook in a saucepan, cook over a double boiler. Strain the juice, strain the cooked curd. And on and on it goes. The versatility once made is as varied as the list of recipe options. Fill … [Read more...]
