A Summer Lunch with a Friend

Today we invited our friend Kim over for a New Year catch up over lunch. It's great to be on holidays and to have the luxury of a leisurely lunch during the week, along with a few glasses of wine and some good conversation. The weather is really warm right now, so I wanted a menu that kept me out of a hot kitchen, and that also took advantage of the beautiful Summer produce around at the moment. I managed to come up with a menu that delivered all that, as well as ensuring I didn't have to turn the stove on inside at all. Win!

I thought I'd set the tone with some lovely bright flowers in my favorite vintage vase to pretty up the dining table a bit. Red and green is also kind of festive, don't you think?

Pretty, Pretty.

On New Year's Day I really felt like cooking a French style terrine (as you do!) so that made up our first course. I love a good terrine, and this one is my version, based on lots that I tasted when I was travelling in France. Every little cafe and restaurant seemed to have their own version (Terrine de Maison) and over the years I've developed my own. It is a mixture of pork and chicken, along with bacon, capers, pistachios, juniper berries and a touch of allspice. It is really delicious and better eaten the day after you make it. I've had a couple of requests for recipe, so I will share it with you at the end of this post. Here is what it looked like on the day I made it.

My Terrine de Maison

I served the terrine today with some crisp lettuce hearts, cornichons and some beautiful Bruny Island plum jelly that I brought back from my last trip to Tasmania. We also enjoyed it with slices of crusty French bread and lashings of fabulous Pepe Saya cultured butter. 

Plated Terrine 

with accompaniments

For the main course, I visited the fishmonger this morning and decided to see what they had that looked good, and I would base a dish around that. I found some super fresh, large local prawns and some really good looking line caught Blue Marlin steaks. I cooked them outside on the BBQ, along with some fresh asparagus and some zucchini flowers. I made a simple sauce with olive oil, lemon juice, cherry balsamic, chilli, capers, parsley, garlic chives and fresh oregano from my garden. I just drizzled the dressing over just before serving. I added some grilled lime on the side and some baby chervil herbs for a bit of freshness.

The Fish Course

The dessert was super simple. I bought 3 perfect white peaches that are now in season and really beautiful and fragrant, I always like creating dishes out of what is in season, and these are great right now. I blanched them in boiling water to remove the skins, chilled them and then served them drizzled with a sweet syrup made from palm sugar - and some fresh coconut cream and lemony tasting baby sorrel leaves. Easy - and a fresh and delicious end to a summer lunch. This is great dessert for people who can't eat dairy products. The coconut cream gives a velvety richness without any dairy at all. I notice that supermarkets are stocking it now, in the chiller section next to the sour cream and other dairy based creams. Have a look for it - it has a lighter, fresher taste than the tinned coconut cream you buy to make curries with.

White Peach

With palm sugar, coconut cream and baby sorrel

We had a lovely few hours eating and chatting and drinking wine and everyone enjoyed the menu I had put together. Apart from the terrine, which was made the day before, it was a very low stress menu for a hot Summer day.

As requested, below is the recipe for my terrine. You can cook it in a traditional ceramic terrine (the rectangular dish that gives the dish its name) or a metal loaf tin, if you don't have a terrine. You will also need something to place on top of the terrine while it is cooking, to compress it. I use a small rectangular ceramic dish that works fine.

Gourmet Goddess Terrine de Maison

500g Pork Mince

500g Chicken Mince

250g Finely Chopped Bacon

15-20 Slices Prosciutto

1 Large Finely Chopped White Onion

2 Cloves Garlic

1/2 Teaspoon Allspice

6 Crushed Juniper Berries

1 Teaspoon Finely Chopped Rosemary (Don't use dried Rosemary for this recipe)

1 Tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard

1 Tablespoon Small Capers 

2 Teaspoons Salt

1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 Egg

1 1/2 Cups Breadcrumbs

3 Pinches Cayenne Pepper

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Olive Oil Spray

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170C. Cut a piece of baking paper to line the bottom of your terrine dish or tin. Spray the tin with olive oil. 

Carefully line the bottom and side of the tin with a layer of prosciutto. Set aside.

In a pan, heat the tablespoon of butter and olive olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook until transparent. Don't have the heat too high - you don't want the onions or garlic to brown. 

In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked onion and all of the other ingredients. Using clean hands, thoroughly mix the ingredients until very, very well combined.

Fill the terrine with the mixture, taking care that it is packed in evenly. When you have finished, add a weight to the top of the terrine. I use a small rectangular ceramic dish to do this. You want the terrine to be compressed during cooking, which results in a nice, even terrine when you go to cut it later. Cover the whole dish with foil.

Cook in the over for 1 hour 20 minutes. When you remove it from the oven, take off the foil and carefully drain any excess cooking juices that you may find at the bottom of the terrine.

Allow the terrine to cool in the dish for about 30 minutes, before turning it out on a plate and putting it in the fridge to chill. You can eat it once it's cold, but I recommend waiting 24 hours, as the flavours develop really nicely given a little bit of time.

Serve with crusty bread, any kind of pickle of fruit jelly and some crisp lettuce leaves. It's also great in crusty rolls for a picnic.

Serves 8 People

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Weeknight Entertaining

This week, as well as preparing for our Tasmania trip (more on that later) we caught up with our friends Dan and Louise, who are back in town after months of travelling around Australia on a mega road trip. We decided we would entertain at home and give them a home cooked meal instead of heading out to a restaurant. I thought they would appreciate it after living out of a four wheel drive for such a long time! I wanted to serve something rustic and easy to put together - who has time for fussy courses and lengthy preparation when you have just got in from a day at work? Entertaining mid week when you work full time can be a bit of a challenge, and given how bats-crazy-busy the last few weeks have been, I went for something low maintenance, but with lots of flavour. I also wanted to use what I had on hand, to help clear out the fridge before we leave for our holidays.

I pretty much did a variation on a family roast, but played around with the flavours a little. I baked a free range chicken, stuffed with a mixture of fresh breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, spring onion, garlic, fresh lemon thyme, parsley and oregano from our garden, a couple of teaspoons of finely chopped preserved lemon (the skin only), seasoned it well with salt and pepper and bound it all together with a fresh free range egg.

I added some thickly sliced onion, fennel and fresh lemon to the roasting pan, with a splash of olive oil, salt and some extra lemon thyme and baked the chicken for about an hour and fifteen minutes. For a bit of richness to contrast with the lemon flavours, I basted it a few times with a little melted unsalted butter.

 Ready for the oven - Free range chicken with lemon and pine nut stuffing

Baked with fresh lemons, fennel, thyme and red onion

 

 

I served the chicken with the vegetables we happened to have on hand - some French beans, fresh sweet corn on the cob and a batch of crispy golden roasted potatoes. I used the delicious Dutch Cream potato - a variety I really love. Grocers are starting to stock them now and they are worth grabbing if you see them. They have a wonderful texture and a beautiful yellow tint to the flesh.

For the sauce, I made a basic gravy, but enhanced the flavour with a little wholegrain mustard, a touch of honey, fresh parsley and a small amount of balsamic vinegar. I used a mixture of chicken stock and a little milk to achieve a slightly creamy sauce. The result was a dish that was easy to put together, but that was perfect to share with guests.

 

Ready to serve - Golden Stuffed Roasted Chicken

Served with Dutch Cream potatoes, corn and French beans.

Sauce - herb and mustard gravy.

I hadn't thought about an entree or a dessert, but my resourceful husband headed off to the fabulous Bourke Street Bakery during the day and picked up some of their delicious bite sized tarts - ginger crème brulee and chocolate and raspberry. They were a lovely sweet finish to the meal. He also arrived home with a nice selection of cheese, olives and Italian style bread - suddenly, we had a starter, just right to have with a glass of wine while we waited for the chicken to cook and caught up with Dan and Louise's adventures. So, the lesson for today is that mid week entertaining doesn't have to be hard. Choosing something rustic you can pretty much whack in the oven and forget about certainly helps!

Our household is now in pre Tasmanian holiday preparation mode, with lists made and the dining table currently covered in clothes and assorted stuff as we start to pack. It is going to be cold where we are going, so thermals are at the top of the pile, along with wool scarves, gloves and fluffy socks. We fly into Hobart on Saturday morning and I couldn't be happier about that. Tasmania is one of the real treasures of this country, with it's magnificent natural landscape, wildlife, incredible art (if you are ever in Hobart a visit to MONA is a must - the most exciting and engaging gallery you will ever see) and the magnificent Tasmanian produce. Think artisan cheese, seafood from the cold, pristine waters, bakers and producers who put love and artistry into their hand made creations and a real pride in local produce. I am in the midst of a complete love affair with the place - a place we will make home one day, complete with our own land where we can grow our own food. Yes, the whole deal - vegetable garden, fruit trees, chooks, beehives, a few pigs and cows.

That is a few years off however, so in the meantime - it's holidays and exploring Tasmania whenever we get the chance. I am hoping to do some updates during our trip - there is plenty of great food to report back on - so watch this space!

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Lemony, Garlicky Chicken with Fregola

Summer eating really lends itself to vibrant Mediterranean flavours, so that was the inspiration for today's recipe. I had a large bowl of lovely cherry tomatoes grown and harvested from our little inner city garden and a nice crop of basil, as well as a pack of fregola that had been sitting in the pantry not yet opened, so it made sense to put them all together. A couple of lemons in the fruit bowl, as well as some lovely organic garlic sealed the deal. I had intended cooking a plain old roast chicken for dinner, but thought that there was no point leaving our lovely free range Burrawong chook out of things, so it got the Mediterranean flavour treatment as well.

Some of you might not have come across fregola before. Fregola comes from the Italian island of Sardinia and is small beads or "pebbles" of semolina pasta traditionally formed by hand, then toasted. This process gives the fregola a delightfully nutty and chewy character. Fregola is made by sprinkling water over semolina flour and quickly rubbing your fingers through the flour creating small balls of pasta. These are then sifted through different sized strainers to collect fregola of similar size so they cook evenly. Very sensible. It is used in a wide range of dishes from soups and stews to cold salads and accompaniments for meat or seafood.

As well as being very tasty, it is particularly versatile - you can pretty much use it anywhere you would use pasta, risoni or cous cous. Fregola is popping up on menus more and more, and these days it isn't overly difficult to get hold of. An Italian deli or good supermarket is likely to stock it. I have also seen it in gourmet stores so keep your eyes open for it. Although I am serving fregola today as a side dish with chicken, this would be a lovely simple vegetarian dish in it's own right if you forget about the chook part.

 Lemony, Garlicky Chicken

with Fregola

Because of our shiny new BBQ, and the fact that I'm a bit obsessed with cooking on it at the moment,  I did the chicken in this recipe on the open BBQ grill, with the lid on for most of the cooking. You can of course cook the chicken in a normal oven - I have included those instructions in the recipe below. If you are cooking the chicken in the oven, I recommend using a rack to cook the chicken on - allows better air circulation around the food and you will end up with a far better result.

You will need:
For the chicken - 1 whole free range chicken (skin on), 6 cloves minced or very finely chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 anchovies chopped or minced very fine, the juice and finely grated rind of 2 lemons, 1 teaspoon Harissa (if you don't have this, you can use minced chilli instead)

For the Fregola - 1 cup Fregola, 2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup chopped spring onions, 1 tablespoon chopped pitted black olives, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 2 anchovy fillets finely chopped, 1 tablespoon baby capers rinsed, 2 teaspoons olive oil, a handful fresh basil leaves.

To serve - extra basil leaves and lemon

Method:
Rinse the chicken with cold water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut through either side of the backbone, removing the backbone and chook's bum with it. Turn the chicken breast side up and push on the breast so that the chicken is flattened out a little.

Combine all of the other chicken ingredients in a smallish bowl and mix well. Rub the mixture thoroughly all over the chicken, including under the skin as much as possible. Put the chicken on a plate, cover and allow to the flavours to infuse in the fridge for at least an hour (overnight is even better)

When you are ready to cook, heat the BBQ to a medium/high heat and cook the chicken over the open grill for about 30 minutes, turning from time to time. Keep the lid on as much as you can. You can also cook the chicken in the oven - cook for about the same time, on 220C. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the chicken, so just keep an eye on it so that you don't over or under cook it.

Once the chicken is cooked, cover loosely with foil and allow it to rest while you make the fregola.

Combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 teaspoons olive oil, garlic, anchovies, capers, olives in a pan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook fregola in a pot of simmering salted water for 10 minutes until al dente and drain well.

Add the spring onion and the torn basil leaves to the tomato mixture. Cook for another 5 minutes. Now add the drained fregola and mix well.

Cut the chicken into pieces and serve it with the fregola and some extra basil leaves and lemon. Serves 4-6 people.

******

A Food Travel Flashback - Bali

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks up in the lush hills of Bali, learning about traditional Balinese cuisine. As well as discovering the indigenous plants and ingredients, I also got to spend time with some of the local women, cooking, exploring the market and marvelling at the beautiful flavours, colours and aromas that characterised the local food. I also built up my biceps from hand grinding all those gorgeous spice pastes!

Traditionally, cooking for an average day is done once in the morning - and that dish is eaten throughout the day, with rice. I remember waking up to the sound of roosters crowing, frogs in the rice paddies - and the beautiful smell of cooking early every morning, as the women in the various family compounds around where I was staying prepared food for the day. Early morning in the Balinese hills has a very distinct smell - like an exotic aromatic cloud made up of woodsmoke, incense, chillies, lemongrass, tumeric and flowers. Totally intoxicating.

Today I have a craving for some of that aromatic gorgeousness, so I thought I would share one of the dishes that I learned in my travels. I haven't made this for ages, but it is really beautiful and full of layers of flavour. Making your own spice paste may seem fiddly, but it is absolutely worth the effort - and you don't have to use a mortar and pestle if that doesn't appeal to you. A food processor is fine.

You will find all of the spice paste ingredients at any asian grocer or market. Be sure to use the fresh versions of the ginger, lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal and tumeric - dried won't cut it for this recipe. A note about the fresh tumeric - it stains like crazy, and if you get it on your clothing you will never get it off, so wear an apron and gloves when you are preparing it - unless you want ruined clothes and yellow Homer Simpson hands!

So here is today's recipe, courtesy of the gorgeous Indonesian island of Bali. This golden coloured aromatic curry is quite mild and "safe" to serve to those who might be a bit hesitant about spicy food. But of course if you are a chilli devotee, feel free to add more chillies - or leave the seeds in for extra punch.

Kare Ayam Tuwung

(Chicken & Eggplant Curry)

You will need: 6-8 skinless chicken peices (I use legs or thighs on the bone - much better flavour. I wouldn't use chicken breast for this as it will dry out too much),1 large eggplant,1 large sliced red onion, 1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1 cup coconut milk, 4 lime leaves, 1 stalk lemongrass about 10cm long,2 large tomatoes, 1 tablespoon palm sugar (you can substitute brown sugar if you don't have palm sugar),salt, pepper, 3 cups water.

For the spice paste: 6 shallots, 1 peice of ginger the size of your thumb,1 tablespoon fresh galangal, 6 cloves garlic,2 long red chillies with the seeds removed, 1 tablespoon fresh tumeric,1 tablespoon coriander seed,1/2 tablespoon cumin seed,2 teaspoons tamarind paste,1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste,3 grated candlenuts,1 teaspoon black peppercorns.

Method: Cut the eggplant into peices about half the size of a matchbox. Sprinkle with salt and place in a colander in the sink to drain. In the meantime, start preparing the spice paste.

Take the coriander seed, cumin seed and peppercorns and place them in a pan on a low heat. Gently toast them until you start to smell the aromas releasing. Be sure to move them constantly so they do not burn. If they do, start over, as burned spices will give an unpleasant bitter taste to your dish. Remove them from the pan and grind them to a powder (I use a mortar and pestle for this)

Chop the shallots, ginger, galangal, garlic, chilli and tumeric roughly. Place these in a food processor or large mortar and pestle. Add the cumin, coriander, peppercorns, candlenuts, shrimp paste and tamarind paste.Add about a third of a cup of warm water to the mixture and hand grind or process these until you have a fragrant paste. If the mixture is a little dry, add a few more teaspoons of warm water. Set the paste aside.

Cut a cross in the base of the tomatoes and place them in a bowl of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the water and peel off the skins - they should come off easily. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside.

Rinse the eggplant with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
Bruise the lemongrass stalk, still keeping it in one peice (a mortar and pestle is good for this!) Tie the stalk in a knot - this makes it easy to remove later and stops the fibres from breaking up through the dish.

In a wok or large saucepan, heat the peanut oil on a medium heat. Add the spice paste and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constatntly. Add the sliced red onion and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the chicken, eggplant, lemongrass and lime leaves.

Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Now add the tomatoes, water, palm sugar and a little salt. Simmer gently for 20- 25 minutes.

Now stir through the coconut milk. Turn up the heat so that the mixture is boiling a lot more rapidly and allow it to cook like this for 5-10 minutes remembering to stir it from time to time.

Taste the curry and adjust the seasonings to taste - add more salt and pepper as needed. Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves before serving.

Serve with rice and fresh chillies if you like it hot.

******

Welcoming the Year of the Dragon

I really love the Chinese Lunar New Year. It always seemed to make much more sense to me to measure the passing of time by the actual moon's cycles than just deciding that it starts on 1 January as in the Gregorian or Christian calendar. I guess my Pagan sensibilities have a bit of a problem with the calendar being manipulated back in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, in an attempt to quash the existing Pagan festivals. Although the western world still sticks to the Gregorian calendar, lots of us still mark the passage of time in the old ways - which also means that it is measured according the cycles of nature and the moon. For that reason, the Chinese New Year (like the Pagan one) does not fall on a fixed date each year.

In 2012, the Chinese New Year commences on 23 January and celebrations wind up around the 9 February. I have great memories of my Chinese neighbours setting off highly illegal (but very loud and festive) fireworks in my street in Marrickville when I lived there a couple of years ago. The celebratory vibe on the street was palpable and the Asian food markets were bustling with people buying food for New Year feasts. This year is the Year of the Water Dragon - a year believed to be ripe with power, flow and transformation. It is believed that it is very much a sink or swim year, where those who embrace the dragon's power and come from a solid spiritual place will thrive - and those who's beliefs and ways of living lack substance and who cannot ride the wave of dragon energy can get swamped by it. So let's get to it and ride that wave folks!

On Friday night we entertained a house full of friends to celebrate the Chinese New Year and whip up some positive, Dragon energy fuelled camraderie. I decided on a menu that was a combination of finger foods to start with, followed by a buffet of dishes served with hot steamed rice. We started off with delicious pork and sesame balls, served with plum sauce, then moved on to handmade prawn and scallop dumplings and then lovely crunchy chicken, vermicelli and black fungus rolls. The finger food went down a treat and kept everyone happy until the buffet meal.

Pork & Sesame Balls

with Plum Sauce

Prawn & Scallop Dumplings

with Soy and Sesame Oil

Chicken, Vermicelli and Black Fungus Rolls

with Chilli Lime Dipping Sauce

The buffet comprised of a fresh watercress, BBQ duck and pomelo salad (for those of you who aren't familiar with pomelo, it is a huge grapefruit like fruit, often used in South East Asia) The salad is packed with flavour, but also light and tangy - perfect for Summer.

Watercress, BBQ Duck and Pomelo Salad

Next came twice cooked pork belly, which I started 2 days before, cooking it in a highly aromatic master stock, with star anise, ginger, rice wine, cinnamon, garlic, sweet onions, peppercorns, soy, Five spice, garlic and chilli. After poaching the pork, it is left to dry out a little. The skin is then scored all over, and the meat is then cooked over the coals, then rested before serving with gai lan (Chinese greens) The resulting pork is super succulent and full of the exotic aromatics.

Twice Cooked Pork Belly

with Gai Lan

I added a simple seafood dish - prawns, fish and scallops that were coated in spiced rice flour and fried, then served with chilli and coriander. It is a very simple dish that allows the very fresh seafood to shine through.

Fried Spiced Seafood

There was a stir fried chicken and dried shitake mushroom dish, served with crisp snake beans and fresh bean sprouts. There were lots of comments on how meaty and delicious the mushrooms were - the flavour is just beautiful, and a lot stronger than using fresh ones. The dried mushrooms are soaked in water overnight before cutting off the stalks and using them.

Chicken & Shitake Mushrooms

with Bean Shoots

I hadn't planned to serve dessert, but Andrew suggested we head to the Chinese pastry shop and buy some sweet custard tarts to offer at the end of the meal. I thought it was a great idea, but when we got to the shop, there were only 5 or 6 left. We needed 25! Our friendly Chinese baker sweetly suggested that he would bake a batch just for us that we could pick up in an hour. Perfect. The tarts were divine and a big hit with our guests. Alas, no pictures - we were too busy devouring them all to photograph them!


Our Chinese New Year celebration was a lot of fun, and we certainly kicked off The Year of the Dragon with good vibes and much feasting. Happy Year of the Dragon everyone - ride that Water Dragon Wave! Gung Hay Fat Choy!!!

******

Magnificent Mango

Nothing says Summer like mangoes and today's recipe uses this gorgeous fruit,  that is in season right now. Mangoes aren't only delicious as a sweet treat or dessert - they are also great in salads, served with white meat or seafood and in salsas or sauces. Enjoy them in as many different ways as you can while they are cheap and plentiful.

Mangoes are native to India and account for approximately half of all tropical fruits produced worldwide. In India, the tree and it's fruit plays a sacred role. It is a traditionally a symbol of love and some believe that the Mango tree has the power to grant wishes. The trees can also live a very long time, with some specimens still bearing fruit after 300 years. Pretty damned impressive !


In Hinduism, the perfectly ripe mango is often held by the elephant god, Lord Ganesha (remover of obstacles and patron of prosperity) as a symbol of attainment and potential perfection. Mango blossoms are also used in the worship of the Goddess Saraswati who rules knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. All this, and they taste superb too!

Today's recipe is very easy and is the ideal Summer after work dinner. You can throw it together really fast and the result is a healthy, summery and delicious meal. Feel free to play around with the salad ingredients and use whatever you have around. Throwing in some toasted almonds or sunflower seeds would add a lovely nutty crunch to the salad if you fancy it.

Chicken and Mango Salad

You will need: 6 chicken tenderloins, 1 ripe sliced mango (I prefer them a touch under-ripe, but choose whatever suits you), ½ red onion finely sliced, 1 baby Cos lettuce (or assorted salad leaves of your choice) , ½ Lebanese cucumber - deseeded and sliced, ½ cup finely julienned red pepper/capsicum. Olive oil for greasing the pan or grill.



For the marinade: 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced or finely chopped chilli (more if you like it fiery!), 1 clove minced garlic, Rind of 1 lime.


For the dressing: Juice of 1 lime, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, salt and pepper to taste


Method: Whisk together the marinade ingredients and combine well with the chicken. Marinate for at least an hour (overnight is great if you have time)


Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.


Cook the chicken in a hot, greased pan/grill until cooked through. Brush with any remaining marinade as you go. Doing this on the BBQ would also work really well. When the chicken is cooked, allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.


While the chicken is resting, assemble all of your salad ingredients on individual plates or a large platter. Slice the chicken into smaller pieces and add to the salad. Drizzle over some of the dressing just before serving.


Serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are!

******



Soul Kitchen

I love the idea of soul food. Food that is easy and comforting with no airs and graces. When I think of soul food, I think of vibrant flavours, simple ingredients and food that is cooked with love. To me, nothing captures the essence of soul food more than cornbread. Eaten warm with butter, or used to soak up the gravy from some gorgeous southern delicacy there are lots of different versions, but I've never eaten cornbread I didn't like!

I have had a lifelong love affair with cornbread and I realised that I had yet to include it here at Gourmet Goddess, so this week I decided I would bring you my version of the soul food classic. It is so easy to make and tastes fabulous. I like my cornbread with a generous amount of spring onion in it (scallions if you come from the USA) but you could also use chilli or other fresh herbs if you wanted to. The recipe is very forgiving, so feel free to experiment.

Freshly baked cornbread

Whilst channelling my inner southern soul mama I was inspired to take it a step further and do a dish to serve with my freshly baked cornbread - buttermilk chicken. Now traditionally buttermilk chicken is deep fried and really heavy on the fat and oil (traditionally lard would have been used) but I thought I would do a version that will hopefully keep us all out of the cardiac ward for the time being! The chicken is marinated in the buttermilk, which makes it super succulent - and it is then rubbed in a lovely aromatic spice mix and oven roasted.

Buttermilk is a by product of butter making and is used in lots of recipes, particularly in the Southern American cooking. Despite the name, it is really low in fat and adds a lovely acidic tang to all kinds of dishes. The clever little enzymes in it also work to tenderise meat and keep it moist when cooking. Most supermarkets have buttermilk these days, so it isn't difficult to get hold of. I threw in a few tomatoes to roast while the chicken was cooking and then just drizzled some of the juices from the pan over the top to ramp up the flavour. This was a great homestyle meal that was simple to put together, with a soul food vibe.

Buttermilk Chicken

served with cornbread and roasted tomatoes

- don't forget the hot sauce!

 

For the chicken:
You will need: 4 Chicken Marylands (you could use chicken pieces if you wanted to)

For the marinade: 2 cups buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/3 teaspoon ground pepper, generous pinch cayenne pepper.

For the spice rub: 1 tablespoon ground celery seed, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Method: Mix all of the marinade ingredients together. Add the chicken and ensure that all of the chicken is coated in the marinade. Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour (overnight is fine too)

Mix all of the spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl with the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk marinade that the chicken has been marinating in.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture and shake off any excess buttermilk. I use a paper towel to do this. Take half of the spice mixture and rub or brush it all over the chicken.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, turn the chicken over and then brush over the rest of the spice mix and allow to cook for another 15 minutes. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Alternatively, you could also cook this on the BBQ.

For the cornbread:

You will need: 1/2 Cup polenta (corn meal), 1 1/2 cups self raising flour, 1 tablespoon caster sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup melted butter, 3 eggs, 1 cup creamed corn, 1 cup milk, 1 cup finely sliced spring onions.

Method: Preheat the oven to 180C.

Combine the polenta, flour, sugar, cayenne, salt in a bowl and mix well.

Whisk together the butter, milk, eggs and creamed corn. Pour into the dry mixture and combine until mixed all the way through. The batter will be quite runny - that is fine. Fold through the onions.

Spoon the mixture into a greased muffin pan - I used large sized ones but you could make any size you like, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Bake at 180C for 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of your tin. The cornbread should pull away slightly from the pan when it is done. Please note that cornbread does not rise very much so don't be worried if it doesn't puff up the way muffins do.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the cornbread from the tin.

Serve warm with butter.

******

Prêt à Manger

With the weather turning warm and daylight saving upon us, it is the perfect time to head outside, find a patch of grass and enjoy lunch or dinner in the fresh air. Picnic food should always be easy to transport, simple to store and most of all delicious and un-fussy. Today's recipe is something that ticks all of these boxes and really embodies the French idea of Prêt à Manger (ready to eat). My smoked chicken and broccoli tart is easy to make, but nice enough to serve to guests and is perfect to take to a picnic. It can be eaten warm or cold, by itself or with a side salad and can also be made the day before.

Smoked chicken is a great, flavoursome ingredient that is also terrific in salads. That lovely smoky flavour is delicious, and it works really well in this tart. You can buy smoked chicken at most large supermarkets these days or gourmet delis. The chicken is usually sold in peices - breasts, thighs or drumsticks. I recommend the drumsticks or thighs over the breasts - lots more flavour. Just cut the meat off the bones. (Save the bones for your stock pot) and ensure there are no stray bits of bone in the meat, before adding it to your dish.

This recipe could easily be made into individual one serve tarts or even tiny cocktail sized ones - Great as finger food or BBQ nibbles.

My nasturtium plants have gone crazy in the garden in the last few weeks and are blooming profusely right now, so I decided to serve my smoked chicken and broccoli tart adorned with these lovely edible flowers - perfect for Spring.

Smoked Chicken and Broccoli Tart

You will need: 1-2 Sheets shortcrust pastry (depending on size/shape of the dish you will be cooking it in), 4 free range eggs, 150ml cream, 1/2 cup thinly sliced spring onion, 1 cup finely diced smoked chicken, 2 cups broccoli (or broccolini),  1 cup grated cheese (I used half cheddar, half mozzerella), 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.

Method: Line a quiche or pie dish with the pastry. Put the dish in the fridge for about 10 minutes to chill down.

While the pastry is chilling, steam the broccoli until only just cooked. (I use the microwave to do this) Set the broccoli aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Lay a sheet of baking paper over the top of the pastry and then place baking weights on top (if you dont have these, dried beans or rice are a good substitute) Cook the pastry for about 15 minutes, until it starts to turn golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, cayenne, a generous pinch of salt and a generous seasoning of pepper.

Remove the weights and the baking paper from the pastry case. sprinkle about a third of the cheese over the base, then all of the spring onion and smoked chicken. Top with another third of the cheese.

Arrange the broccoli on top, sprinkle over the last of the cheese and season with a little pepper. Gently pour the egg mixture over the top, ensuring that it is evenly distributed.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the egg mixture is just set. Remove from the oven, allow to cool.

Serve warm or cold.

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Dinner? Get Stuffed.

Apparently necessity is the mother of invention and today's recipe is the result of a 7.30 Tuesday night "what will we have for dinner" crisis. There was not a whole lot in the fridge to choose from and I was not inclined to go to the trouble of defrosting something from the freezer, so I decided to see if I could make something tasty with the bits and pieces we had. The ingredient that really leapt out at me were 6 beautiful large Portobello mushrooms, almost as big as rice bowls. They certainly looked like they should be containing something, so I took stock of the fridge and settled on a stuffing based on a small amount of left over minced chicken, herbs and  breadcrumbs.

The whole dish took just over half an hour from beginning to end, and the result was so delicious that I thought it warranted sharing with you all. The large mushrooms had a delicious rich flavour and the freshness of well seasoned, herbed stuffing was a great contrast to the earthiness of the mushrooms. I would not attempt this recipe with small, button mushrooms - it requires the strong flavour of the large tastier varieties to pull it off I think. Is it just me, or do those little button mushrooms taste like nothing?

You could easily adapt this recipe according to whatever you have around - other herbs, maybe some finely chopped spinach, bacon, pine nuts, a touch of lemon rind. You could also substitute the chicken mince for pork or beef. However you make it, be sure to season your stuffing mixture well and choose large, fresh and firm mushrooms.

Here they are......

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

with balsamic and olive oil

You will need: 6 large Portobello or field mushrooms, 1 cup raw minced chicken, 1/2 cup mozzerella cheese, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped continental parsley, 1 tablespoon thinly sliced spring onion, 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard, about a teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon (thyme would work too),pinch of cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar to serve.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200C. Now, gently twist off and remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Chop them finely and place in a bowl with the chicken, mozzerella, garlic, parsley, spring onion, breadcrumbs, mustard and tarragon. Sesaon with a pinch of cayenne pepper and plenty of salt and pepper. Combine the mixture very well (using your hands is best for this)

Press a generous amount of the filling into each of the mushrooms. Place them on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook for about 25 minutes. allow the mushrooms to rest for a few minutes before serving.

To serve, drizzle over the pan juices and some extra olive oil over the mushrooms and also add a few drops of balsamic vinegar to the plate. It combines with the juices from the mushrooms and the oil to make a delicious dressing.

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So Corny...

Last weekend we had a hankering for juicy, golden roast chicken cooked over the coals on the Weber BBQ. I decided to do something a bit different with the stuffing - replacing the standard herb stuffing with one based on a vegetable favourite - sweetcorn. I also added another of my most loved ingredients, proscuitto. The result was a beautiful savoury stuffing that had the lovely sweetness of the corn but also the salty tang of the proscuitto. To change it up a bit more, I also took fresh tarragon from the herb garden and made a little tarragon and garlic butter which I put under the skin of the chicken. As it cooked, the flesh was infused with the butter which made for a succulent and aromatic result. During the cooking process, I basted the chicken with the delicious juices to ensure maximum flavour.

Make sure you chose a good quality free range chicken and always dry your chicken inside and out with paper towels before you stuff or cook it. You will get great crispy skin and a much better result. Being only the two of us, we had heaps of chicken left over for the next day - I ended up throwing the chopped leftover chicken into a quick and easy fried rice dish. Worked a treat.

Some of you have been asking about the wedding plans - well, we have settled on the menu for the 16 April - our caterers have been completely brilliant so far and we have tasted all the delights that our guests will enjoy on the big day. We didn't want anything overly formal. Never been a fan of the alternating "beef or chicken" type of thing and also didn't want a buffet. We want our guests to have choice without getting up from the table, so we have come up with a great solution that will give us a touch of informality, but presented with a bit of style. I love the menu that we have created - can't wait to share it with you. Yes, you have to wait! I promise to post all the details with pics before we get on that plane to Paris for our honeymoon on the19th April.

Now, back to today's gorgeous golden, corny chook......

Chicken with Tarragon Butter

and Corn & Proscuitto stuffing

 

You will need:

For the chicken/tarragon butter: 1 whole free range chicken, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon, 3 cloves finely chopped garlic, salt and pepper.


For the stuffing: 2 cups cooked corn kernels, 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, 6 slices proscuitto, 1 large red onion, 2 cloves garlic, splash of olive oil,1 free range egg, salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon grated parmesan, pinch cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons freshly chopped tarragon.


Method:
First, make your stuffing - Place the corn in a food processor and blitz it for a few seconds until the kernels are broken down into smaller pieces. You do not want a puree – ensure that the corn has some texture.


Chop the onion and garlic and cook with a splash of olive oil on a medium heat until the onion is soft. Roughly chop the prosciutto and add to the onion. Cook for a further 5 minutes.


Combine all of the ingredients together and mix very well until it binds well (clean hands work best for this) Stuff the chicken with the stuffing.


Now make the tarragon butter – combine the butter, garlic, tarragon, salt and pepper and mix very well. Gently push the butter under the skin of the chicken, being careful not to tear the chicken skin as you go. Try to get the butter down near the legs as well as the breast. Rub the chicken all over with a touch of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.


Bake for 60-80 minutes, depending on the size of your chook. Let the chicken rest, covered in foil, for 10 minutes once it is out of the oven.


Serve with baked potatoes, whole baby carrots and asparagus.

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Char! Char! Char!

I love the flavour of BBQ or char grilled food. Something about that smoky flavour and caramelised character really adds another dimension of flavour and texture to the food. Today's recipe uses this technique, along with delicious fresh herbs and the lovely rich citrus kick of preserved lemons to make a very special roasted chicken. I cooked the chicken on the Weber - over the coals with the lid on - and I flattened the chicken, Portugese style to speed up  the cooking time and maximise the exposure of the meat to all those lovely coals. You can of course cook the chicken in the oven or on a standard hooded BBQ if you aren't able to do the coals thing. I teamed the chicken with a very simple char grilled vegetable salad and ate it with some lovely rustic sourdough bread.

If you haven't used preserved lemon before, I have included instructions for how to prepare it for cooking in the recipe below. You use only the rind - the rest of the preserved lemon will be very salty and inedible. You will find preserved lemon at middle eastern grocery stores and gourmet food shops. It is very easy to make your own preserved lemons, but they take about a month to be ready for use. Make them when lemons are in season and at their best. I just wash the lemons well and slice a deep cross into the top of them (they should open up like a flower but still be in one piece) Then I pack them into sterilised jars to which I add a few peppercorns, a bay leaf, a few cloves and a stick of cinnamon. Then I pack them in salt and top them up with lemon juice. They then go into a dark place for about a month. I turn the jars every few days to keep everything well mixed. The lemons should be completely covered, so you may need to add more lemon juice and salt as you go. Choose jars with airtight lids - you don't want the air getting in to your lemons and spoiling them.

All of the herbs that I used in my recipe were picked fresh right from our garden. I am getting so much pleasure from having some outside space and growing herbs and veges. I currently have 13 different herbs, along with baby Cos lettuce, Roma tomatoes, chillies, beetroot, capsicums and french radishes. I will add to this as time progresses. I am really new to the whole garden thing and it is pretty much trial and error - with advice from friends and some online info. I am blessed with a sunny yard so things seem to be growing very fast. I am looking forward to when the vegetable crops mature and I can take them straight from the garden to the table. We recently aquired a compost bin so we will be recycling our scraps too, to add to the already rich soil that we have. There are lots of worms in the ground and the plants look happy - so far, so good!

Hope that you enjoy this different take on the basic roast chicken....

Lemony Herbed Chicken with Char Grilled Vegetable Salad

You will need: 1 whole chicken
(for the chicken marinade) 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon thyme (I used lemon thyme for an extra lemony kick), 1 teaspoon finely chopped tarragon, 1 tablespoon chopped continental parsley, 1 teaspoon minced red chilli, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons pureed preserved lemon*see note, salt and pepper.

(for the char grilled vegetable salad) 1 medium eggplant, 2 medium zucchini, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon chopped continental parsley, 2 medium tomatoes - diced with seeds removed, salt and pepper, extra olive oil.

Method:
(for the chicken) Combine all of the chicken marinade ingredients and set aside.

Wash the chicken with cold water and dry inside and out with paper towels. Lay the chicken on a chopping board breast down. Now, with a sharp knife cut down either side of the backbone. This will remove the backbone/tail in one piece - disguard this backbone. If there is any offal attached to the remaining chicken, trim it off.
Next, turn the chicken over so that it is breast up. With the palm of your hand, push down firmly to flatten the chicken out. Now that the backbone is removed, this will be quite simple to do. You now have one flat chicken!
 
Rub about 2/3 of the marinade mixture over the chicken, including under the skin as much as you can. This should be easy now that the backbone has been removed. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
 
Cook the chicken on a BBQ with a hood, or a Weber (preferably over coals if you can, the flavour is even better this way) breast down to start with - for about 40 minutes. Turn frequently and baste with the remaining marinade. Allow the chicken to rest, covered in foil for 15 minutes before serving.
 
(for the salad) Slice the eggplant into pieces about 1cm thick. Cut the eggplant into long or diagonal slices (whatever is easy for you)
 
While the chicken is resting, splash some olive oil on the vegetables and season with salt and pepper. Cook on the BBQ a few minutes each side, until they are tender and you have nice grill marks on the vegetables.
 
Remove from the heat and just before serving, toss through the tomato, parsley, balsamic, olive oil and season generously. Serve with the chicken.

*To prepare the preserved lemon: With a teaspoon, gently scrape the flesh and the soft pith away from the rind - it will come away very easily. Disgard this. Rinse the remaining lemon rind with water to remove the salt that it has been preserved in. Chop the rind very small and then using the flat side of your knife, squash the rind until it is a smooth puree.
 

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Gourmet Goddess welcomes Spring

Nothing signals the start of Spring to me more than the sight of fresh asparagus. I love this time of year when so many of my favourite fruits and vegetables start coming into season. As the season progresses, the quality and supply gets better and the price drops - you have to love that! I am a devotee seasonal eating. I've never understood why eating the same food all year round is perceived as a good idea. In order to eat food out of season, we are required to ship food from long distances, with all the negative environmental impact that has, as well as sacrificing quality and increasing price. Eating seasonally makes sense for your tastebuds, your wallet and the environment too.

It is really worth going online and researching what is in season at particular times of the year and planning menus around that. I always include seasonal suggestions on the right hand side of my blog page, so you may also want to start there for ideas. When buying produce, always check the origin - if your grocer doesn't diplay this information, then ask why - they should. Same goes for seafood and meat. Food that has travelled a long way has not only contributed to more carbon emissions, but has also been handled multiple times to get to you - quality can only suffer. Buy close to home as much as you possibly can to get the very best produce and to do your bit to minimise negative environmental impacts.

Now, to today's recipe - This dish is so simple to make, but is also pretty enough to serve at a dinner party. I love the effect of the sage leaves through the veil of proscuitto. Juicy chicken, salty proscuitto, the lovely herbal aroma of sage and a garlic infused, buttery mozzerella centre make this Italian inspired dish one that you and your guests will love. I served this dish last night with some asparagus (of course!) - I just threw the asparagus spears in a grill pan for a couple of minutes with a touch of olive oil and salt and pepper. Don't forget to chop off the thick, woody ends before you cook them.

To accompany the asparagus, I chopped up some baby roma tomatoes and black olives, which I seasoned well with salt and pepper and tossed with a drizzle of olive oil and a little balsamic. The whole meal was done in under half an hour. Perfect to throw together after work when you don't have a lot of time. This dish would also go well with grillled vegetables - zucchini and eggplant would be great, or an Italian inspired salad - think cos, rocket or  radicchio leaves, basil, roasted capsicums, olives, artichokes, fetta or bocconcini cheese - whatever is in season. Give it a try - it is maximum flavour and presentation with minimum effort.

Chicken with proscuitto & sage

served with grilled asparagus and baby roma tomato and olive salad

You will need:

2 chicken breasts, 6 slices proscuitto, 10 sage leaves, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon grated mozzerella cheese, salt and pepper.

Method:

Trim any fat off the chicken breasts and gently cut a pocket along the length of the breast, taking care not to cut right through. You want the chicken to still be in one piece.

Finely chop 2 of the sage leaves and combine with the cheese, butter and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon half of the mixture into the pocket you have made in the chicken breast. Repeat with the second one.

Lay 4 sage leaves on top of each of the chicken breasts and then wrap the chicken in 3 pieces of proscuitto each. Tuck under any stray bits of proscuitto so that the surface is smooth.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Some of the butter will flow out of the chicken - use this to gently baste the chicken. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving and drizzle over the remaining pan juices.

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Peri-Peri Chicken - very very delicious!

The name Peri Peri is used in Mozambique to describe the African bird's-eye chili. In Mozambican cuisine, Peri Peri (or Piri Piri) is often used in preparing sauces and marinades for roast and grilled dishes, especially chicken and seafood. Peri Peri is also used in all kinds of dishes in Portuguese cuisine - in Australia we commonly associate it with "Portuguese Charcoal Chicken" - chicken that is marinated in the Peri - Peri sauce and then baked flat over coals. The name actually comes from the Tupi language in Brazil - Portuguese traders introduced it to Africa along with other species of capsicum and chillies. Whatever the name, it is a delicious way to prepare food, especially if you like a bit of spice. Adjust it to your taste, but it really does benefit from being on the spicy side.

I served my Peri-Peri Chicken with Patatas Bravas (a Spanish favourite - twice cooked potatoes , first par boiled then shallow fried - topped with a spicy tomato sauce, aoli and finely sliced spring onion.)  I also served a bowl of sweet corn on the cob with coriander butter - Yum!!! The chicken will go well with a salad, baked potatoes and sour cream, or rice. It is also excellent cold as a picnic or buffet dish. You can use the sauce to cook seafood (it is fabulous with fish or prawns) and if you dont want to do the chicken whole, it can work well with chicken pieces or even just wings (a great budget option)

You can buy Peri Peri sauce in a bottle, but why not make your own? It is very quick and easy and you can adjust the flavours however you like it. You can also freeze the sauce, so it is worth making a big batch and dividing it into portions so you always have some on hand to jazz up whatever meat you happen to have around. Here's how I served it...

Peri-Peri Chicken served with Patatas Bravas and corn with coriander butter

You will need:
1 whole range chicken, 1 cup roasted red capsicums (you can roast them for yourself, buy them from a deli or get them out of a jar - whatever works for you), 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 heaped teaspoon coriander powder, 1-2 teaspoons finely chopped or minced chilli (according to your taste), Juice of 1 lime (Do NOT use that awful lime juice in a bottle - it is absolutely vile and full of preservatives. If you can't get lime then use 1/2 a fresh lemon), 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons warm water, salt and pepper to taste, fresh coriander or extra lime wedges to serve.

Method:
To make the Peri-Peri sauce - Combine the capsicum, cayenne, coriander,chilli, lime juice, paprika, garlic, olive oil, sugar, water and salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more chilli or salt if required. Set aside.

Wash the chicken with cold water and dry inside and out with paper towels. Lay the chicken on a chopping board breast down. Now, with a sharp knife cut down either side of the backbone. This will remove the backbone/tail in one piece - disguard this backbone. If there is any offal attached to the remaining chicken, trim it off.

Next, turn the chicken over so that it is breast up. With the palm of your hand, push down firmly to flatten the chicken out. Now that the backbone is removed, this will be quite easy.

Use half of the Peri- Peri mixture and rub this into the chicken very well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour (overnight is ideal). Reserve and refigerate the other half of the Peri-Peri mixture for later.

Cook the chicken for about 45-60 mins in a moderate oven or a covered BBQ, such as a Weber until the juices run clear when you pierce the thigh/leg area. Baste the chicken as you go with the remaining peri-peri sauce and turn a few times during the cooking process.

Cooking times will vary according to how large your chicken is. I cook my chicken in the oven on a wire rack - this allows good hot air circulation and speeds up cooking time - but you can simply place it on a baking dish/tray if you don't want to do that.

Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving with fresh coriander sprigs and extra lime wedges. This recipe will serve 4-8 people, depending on the size of your chicken and your appetite.

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Hot rocks and an Italian flavour

There is something so special about meat that is cooked over coals or a wood fire. The flames and the coals give the meat a wonderful smoky character that an oven just can't deliver. I think about some of my favourite food experiences and a lot of them involve food cooked and eaten outside on a fire - succulent fresh fish prepared on the beach at Jimbaran Bay in Bali, swoon inducing Satay in a smoke filled street market in Singapore, the delectable aroma of spicy Italian sausages cooking on a backyard BBQ in Marrickville.

My fiancee Andrew is a true devotee of cooking over coals (he insists on cooking pretty much everything on the Weber if he can get away with it!) and today's recipe was inspired by his love of hot coals and my love of rustic Italian food. The result is a delicious dish that is full of gorgeous flavours,contrasting textures and of course that brilliant smoky character that cooking over coals imparts.

Recently I attended the Sydney Food and Wine Show, and as well as coming home laden with two new Japanese knives, a Jarrah wood rolling pin and chopping board, breasts of quail, duck, honey, a bottle of NZ Limoncello, four kinds of cheese, a whole baby salmon, salmon roe and lots of other "essentials" (well, I told myself they were!) - I also purchased two Spatchcocks.

Spatchcock (also called Poussin or Spring Chicken) is a young chicken that weighs from between 450 to 750g. Spatchcock is a delicious meat - incredibly sweet and tender and is a lovely alternative to your standard roast chook. It was once quite difficult to source, but is becoming much easier to find. If you do not see it at your butcher, then ask them to order some for you. It also looks fantastic on the plate and makes for a wow factor dinner party dish. You can serve 1 per person as a main course - although I would choose the smaller sizes if you plan to stuff the birds - as I have in my recipe. A 750g bird would be far too much for one person once it has been stuffed.

The amounts given in the recipe below are for two people - or you could do 4 serves as a substantial entree or lighter lunch. Just cut the spatchcocks in half once they have rested if serving four people.You can of course cook this dish in the oven, but if you have a Weber or covered BBQ then I would suggest using it - you will end up with a superior flavour.


I have given my spatchcocks a rustic Italian feel, with a rich mushroom stuffing, lots of garlic, roasted tomatoes and super creamy parmesan polenta. You could plate them up individually or do a big, bountiful platter that you place in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. However you serve it, I guarantee you will literally want to lick the plate clean....

Roasted spatchcock with mushroom stuffing and Parmesan polenta

You will need: 2 spatchcocks, 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 1 red onion finely chopped, 3 cloves finely chopped  garlic, 2 cups sliced mushrooms, 2 rashers chopped bacon or proscuitto (rind removed), 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (remove the rough stalk so you are left with just the soft leaves) , salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped continental parsley, 1/2 tablespoon butter, splash of olive oil, 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese.

Method: First, rinse the spatchcocks in cold water and then dry them thoroughly with paper towels, inside and out. Set aside.

To make the stuffing, heat the butter and a splash of olive oil in a pan. Add the bacon (or proscuitto) and onions and cook until the onions are soft and transperent. Add the thyme, garlic and mushrooms, season with salt and a little pepper and cook for about five minutes.

Add the mushroom mixture to the fresh breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan and egg. Season well with salt and pepper. Combine thoroughly and then allow the stuffing mixture to cool.

Stuff the spatchcocks with the filling, making sure the stuffing is well distributed.After you have finished stuffing the birds, you can use toothpicks, a skewer or trussing string to close up the cavity if you wish. It is not absolutely necessary, but will make for neater presentation if you do. It also ensures the stuffing does not come out of the birds when they are in the oven, which can sometimes happen as the stuffing expands a little during cooking.

If you are using a Weber or covered BBQ, cook the birds for around 30-35 minutes, basting occasionally. If you are using the oven, cook them in a moderate oven for around 40 minutes. As sizes of spatchcocks can vary, so will cooking times, so they may take a little bit longer or a little less. They are cooked when the juices around the thickest part of the spatchcock (leg and thigh) runs clear.

Cover the spatchcocks loosely in foil and allow them to rest for 10 mins before serving. Drizzle over the pan juices just before you bring the birds to the table. You could serve gravy if you really wanted to, but there is so much flavour in the meat, stuffing and the pan juices, I think it would be a shame to drown it all in gravy.

Suggested accompaniments: I served my spatchcocks with oven roasted tomatoes (leave them on the stalk for a nice presentation), steamed sugar snap peas, asparagus and sauteed mushrooms with garlic and parsley. I placed the spatchcocks on a bed of creamy Parmesan polenta (cornmeal)

To make polenta, just follow the directions on the packet - but if they suggest using water, replace this with chicken stock for extra flavour. I always use a whisk to stir my polenta instead of a wooden spoon, as it tends to pick up all the polenta from the sides and the bottom of the pan much more efficiently. Polenta has a tendency to stick if you do not tend to it well and the whisk really helps. Prepare the polenta as directed and just prior to serving, stir in a generous amount of grated Parmesan, a touch of butter (more than a touch if you are feeling decadent) and plenty of salt and pepper.

Polenta warning!!! When cooking polenta, be aware that when it boils, it becomes the consistency and temperature of molten lava and tends to splutter. Be careful! Avoid nasty burns and a very messy cooktop by making sure that you turn the heat down low and cook it gently. It will also help to put a lid on the pan (but leave it askew so that the steam can escape)

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Comfort food - Italiano!

Is there a person alive who doesn't love a good schnitzel? I think it rates as one of the ultimate comfort foods and the other night I really felt like some comfort, so I decided to do a simple chicken schnitzel. As it turned out, I also had some eggplant in the fridge so what started as a basic schnitzel turned into something else entirely, with a distinctive Italian flavour. I simply prepared the chicken schnitzels as you normally would - well seasoned flour, then some beaten egg and breadcrumbs and in the fridge to firm up for 10 minutes or so before shallow frying the chicken.

While the chicken was chilling, I sliced the eggplant thinly and then cooked the slices in a very lightly oiled pan until it started to colour. I also made a simple tomato based sauce at the same time. Once I had cooked the chicken, I spread on a thin layer of the tomato sauce, topped the chicken with the eggplant, then some more sauce. I then added a mixture of mozzerella and parmesan cheese and baked the chicken in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes or so. Easy.

Chicken Melanzane

with asparagus, baby carrots and white anchovy and caper butter

I had been to the organic market the day before and had bought some lovely baby carrots and asparagus as well as some white anchovies and these formed the basis for a side dish to serve with the chicken. The butter that I used as a dressing for the vegetables would also work really well as a simple sauce for filled pasta, such as tortellini or ravioli. You can also make a batch of the butter and freeze it.

To make the butter, I just finely chopped a handful of capers and 5 or 6 white anchovies. Add this to a couple of tablespoons unsalted butter, along with a pinch of cayenne pepper and a generous amount of black pepper. Mix well and then just toss through the hot vegetables. Delicious.

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Dinner with friends

Last night I hosted my first dinner at home for 2010 and I decided that I wanted something with big flavours that would be good for sharing around my living room table. Although I do have a small dining room (a converted second bedroom that I figured would get more use as a place to dine) I often serve dinner around my oversized coffee table. It makes for a much more chilled out atmosphere and we can all just lounge around without the formality of a dining room. The menu I put together for my guests was heavily influenced by spanish cuisine, starting with a whole selection of tapas style dishes that were served with warm crusty bread and plenty of wine. I followed this with a big bowl of fresh local mussels, a grilled vegetable salad and the chicken dish I cooked earlier in the week (I told you that it freezes well!) For dessert, I took advantage of the beautiful white peaches that are in season right now, and poached them in a vanilla and orange blossom water syrup. I served them with some double cream and topped them with some Pomona glace oranges.

I tried something new last night - I have seen various kinds of stuffed chillies served as part of a tapas selection and also in mexican and asian menus and I always like the idea of them. I made up my own recipe, which comprised of chorizo, breadcrumbs, garlic,and a touch of passata to moisten the mixture. I whizzed this all in the food processor and then split and de-seeded the chillies and filled them with the mixture. They were then put in a hot oven drizzled with olive oil for about half an hour. They were spectacularly good - smoky and melty and sexy. I swear I could eat a huge plate of them without stopping, they were so moreish. Perfect as a snack with beer but also great as a tapas/antipasto option. My only regret was not making a lot of them! I will be featuring these in many a menu in the future I think.

Here are some pretty pictures of what was on offer at Casa Gourmet Goddess last night.....

Warm mixed marinated olives, Green Sicilian olives, Chorizo stuffed chillies

From left: Grilled haloumi with lemon, Mixed chorizo (chicken and pork),

cheese stuffed peppers, red figs with proscuitto

Paprika crusted squid with aioli

Grilled vegetable salad with pomegranate balsamic dressing

Chicken with capers and olives

Steamed mussels with rich tomato and garlic butter sauce

Poached white peaches with orange blossom water and vanilla syrup

PS: Before I sign off, I have to thank Justin and Marek for treating us to a couple of bottles of my favourite fizz, Veuve Clicquot to kick off the evening in fine style. Thanks boys XX

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