Crushed Broadbeans on Brushetta

With new spring veges in the garden and farmers market this beautiful green treat is delicious and a delight to be seen. Motivation came from finding broadbeans at La Cigale (French Farmers Market in Parnel) and I really didn't have a recipe to follow.....but it turned out delicious!

Ingredients
1 bunch Broadbeans (or half a bag of frozen beans) cooked and double podded
Handful of grated parmesan
good pinch of rock salt
two glugs of extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove

Method
1 Add cooked broadbeans, parmesan, olive oil, salt and garlic to a mortar and pestle. Crush all ingredients together.
2 Cut a french stick or small ciabatta into slices and toast in the oven on both sides, brushed with garlic infused olive oil.
3 Load the brushetta with bean mixture and serve.

Chocolate Chip biscuits

This has got to be the most delicious chocolate chip biscuit recipe you can find.

Ingredients
125g butter, softened (you can use unsalted as well)
1.25 cups tightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg, lightly beaten
1.5 cups plain flour
0.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 cups chocolate bits

Method
1 Preheat oven to 180oC.
2 place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add vanilla and egg and stir to combine.
3 Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder until just combined. Fold through chocolate bits.
4 Place spoonfuls of mixture on a lined baking tray, allowing room for spreading. Cook for 15-20 mins, until they turn pale gold. allow to cool on the tray for 5 mins before placing biscuits on a wire rack to cool further. Makes 16.

Homemade Sausage Rolls

Another great recipe from Masterchef Australia, but as usual I have adjusted it. You can always double the recipe if you want to make loads, but this recipe make about 20 - depending on how big you like them.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter
1 large carrot, peeled, grated
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
4 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 garlic cloves, crushed
200g beef mince
200g pork mince
1 Tbsp fresh oregano
I Tbsp tomato paste
! Tbsp lea and perrins
1 cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 x sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed, halved
1 egg yolks, lightly whisked
sesame seeds, to garnish
tomato or BBQ sauce, to serve

Method
Step 1: Preheat oven to 180°C.

Step 2: Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add grated carrot and cook for until carrot starts to soften. Cover with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes until very soft. Puree carrot mixture in a blender until smooth. Season to taste. Set aside to cool completely. (Puree optional)

Step 3: Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat, then add onion, thyme, bay leaf, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until onion has softened. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf and set aside to cool completely.

Step 4: Combine minces, the carrot puree, oregano, onion mixture and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Season with salt. Divide the mince mixture into 4 portions and shape into a log the length of the past sheet. Place pastry sheet onto a floured work surface and slice each pastry sheet in half lengthways. Place the sausage log across the closest edge of a pastry sheet. Roll to enclose mixture until the two edges of the pastry meet, trim and discard excess pastry. Brush a little egg wash on the join to secure.

Step 5: Cut the rolls to the size you prefer (I cut 5 per roll) and place on a lined baking tray, brush evenly with egg yolk and sprinkle with seeds. Repeat with remaining pastry. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Step 6:  Serve with either tomato or BBQ sauce.

My Anzac Biscuits

I've never been one to really follow a recipe and this is a prime example! I started with an Anzac biscuit recipe and gave it a twist. The attempt was to make a biscuit you felt guilt free when eating. Hey, they have got to be better than eating processed museli bars from the supermarket!

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup rolled oats
half a cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp hot water
125gm butter
2 Tbsp golden syrup
1.5 cups total of a combination of raisins/sultana, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, sliced almonds. (Or whatever you have in the cupboard)

Method
1 Melt butter and syrup together in a saucepan and leave to cool.
2 all dry ingredients together, add fruit and nuts. Add butter mixture and mix together.
3 Dissolve soda in water and mix in.
4 Place rounded balls on a greased over tray. Bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden.
Makes approx 16, depending on the size you choose.

Tempura Vegetables

Tempura Vegetables
Prepare the vegetables. A variety can be used, these are some of my favourites:
Spring onions
Broccoli
Red capsicum
Kumara/sweet potato – thin discs
Green beans

Batter
½ cup flour
1 Tb cornflour
1 egg yolk
½ cup iced water + extra water

Dipping sauce
Mix together:
4 Tb soy sauce
2 Tb mirin
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tb lemon juice

In a bowl, mix the flours together. In a cup, whisk the egg yolk into the water. Add water/egg mix to the flour mixing lightly as you pour. This is the reverse to most tempura recipes that recommend adding the flour to the water/egg but I like to control the amount of liquid being added to get the right consistency. Don’t over-mix – lumps and a ring of flour around the bowl are signs of a good tempura batter! The consistency should be that of slightly thick pouring cream. Add more flour or water if required to get this consistency.
Heat oil for deep frying. Dip each piece of vegetable in batter and then slip it into the oil. It should immediately “fizz” and float to the surface. If it sinks, oil is too cool, if it browns too quickly, it is too hot. Tempura is meant to be very light in colour, not golden. Keep adjusting temperature as you cook for best results.
Serve with the dipping sauce.

A long weekend in Gisborne

My husband and I decided to go on a long weekend to somewhere we had not been in NZ and decided on the historic city of Gisborne.

We chose our hotel through TripAdvisor and were not disappointed with the Emerald Hotel. It was centrally located, staff were friendly, and the room was massive.  The price was competitive ($150/night), and the only other hotel we would have liked to stay at was the Portside – a more modern hotel on the waterfront - maybe next time!

Activities:
As avid wine lovers we wanted to visit some wineries. Be aware, everything shuts down in Gisborne after summer! We were there in April, and there was only one winery open. However, it was a real gem of a place.  Stone Bridge, located 10km from the city centre, is a family owned boutique winery. We were privileged to have the sole attention of Mairead and left with a couple of lovely bottles of their Gewurztraminer and a bag of fresh grapes straight off the vines. Mairead sells the grapes at the Farmers market and they are delicious.

Cook’s Cove Walkway. Take a drive to Tolaga Bay as there is the famous 660m long wharf to check out first, and the carpark for the walk is a minute away.  The guide states it takes 2-3 hours, but this is hugely exaggerated for anyone with reasonable fitness. The walkway is named after the sheltered cove where James Cook spent several days in 1769. The side trip to the hole in the wall is a must see. As it covers farmland, make sure you check out that the track is open, but it is definitely worth a visit for the beautiful views.

Beaches: The Wainui Beach is spectacular. A long surf beach where in the summer must be the place to be.

Restaurants:
On our first night we went to the Fettuccine Brothers. (12 Peel Street, 06 868 5700). I have to admit I was pretty disappointed in their attempts at Italian. But, they redeemed themselves with the sticky date pudding dessert and the coffee was the best we had in Gisborne. The restaurant was full and as long as you go with not high expectations, I’m sure you will not be disappointed.

Our second dinner was at The Works. It is set in part of Gisborne’s old freezing works building and has a lovely feel to it.  However, the food has got to be the worst meal I have had in a very long time.   They need to keep to the simple stuff and try and master that before trying to offer food that is way out of their league to be able to produce. I suggest you stick to the cheese platter as it is your safest bet.

For breakfast or lunch try Zest (great) or Cafe Ruba.

Gisborne is a picturesque city and well worth a visit. We will be back some time in the summer when this sleepy city is in full swing.

Time for winter warmers - cauliflower

Cauliflower mash

With lots of cauli in the garden I went in search of some new recipe ideas.


This very simple recipe comes from Masterchef Australia and can be served in place of mashed potato. It is delicious, and with the added benefit of much less calories.

 Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
one whole cauliflower cut into florets
2 cups milk

Method

1 Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook shallot for 2 mins or until soft.
2 Add cauliflower and milk, and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.
3 Drain, reserving half a cup of milk. Process cauliflower and the reserved milk in a food processor until a puree (can be rough or smooth depending on preference).
4 Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Handy tip: If you have any left over. Freeze portions and add to vegetable soups.