Spring Lunch with Friends

Today I had the great pleasure of catching up with Miko, an old friend from Japan who I met when she came to my school as an exchange student when we were seventeen years old. Yes, that's twenty seven years ago folks -  a hell of a long time in anyone's language!  Well, through the magic of social media we found each other last year and when she announced she would be coming to Australia for a short holiday, we couldn't pass up the chance to get together. My first thought was to take Miko and her husband Nao out to lunch somewhere by the harbour, but she has always been such a great fan and supporter of Gourmet Goddess, that I thought I would cook for her instead.

I wanted to showcase some really excellent Australian produce, but with the lovely Spring weather, I also wanted the menu to be a bit of a celebration of the season. We were blessed with a beautiful warm Spring day, so location wise we ended up alternating between the back garden and the dining room. It soon became apparent that we all shared a love of food, and there were lots of conversations about cooking and ingredients and the produce from our respective countries. Definitely culinary cultural exchange. Drinks wise, we enjoyed a bottle of Penfolds Eden Valley Traminer which we bought back from our trip to South Australia last year, along with a few glasses of Gekkeikan Sake - just so that both countries were represented of course!

We started our lunch with an entree of handmade crab tortellini, served with a delicious light lemon, chive and butter sauce. I used herbs fresh from my garden and good quality salted Danish butter for the base of the sauce. I wanted to keep it really simple, so that the silky texture of the pasta and the great fresh crab flavour could shine through. I originally considered doing a larger version of this dish as the second dish on the menu, but decided to make Australian beef the focus of the main course.

 Crab Tortellini

with Lemon Chive Butter Sauce

 

I know that beef is extremely expensive in Japan, so I wanted to treat Miko and Nao to a really good peice of grass fed, aged, top quality Australian meat that they would not have the chance to eat at home. We made a special trip to the wonderful Victor Churchill  http://www.victorchurchill.com/  for some top notch beef fillet to serve our guests. I cooked the beef nice and rare, in one large fillet piece - searing it first in a hot pan, then transferring it to the oven for about 15 minutes, resting it for ten minutes and then slicing it into four thick steaks. I find cooking the beef like this keeps it super moist, especially if you are using a fillet piece. The meat was ridiculously tender and so flavoursome.

I served the beef in a very simple French style, with a crisp on the outside, soft in the centre potato galette, some gorgeous new Spring asparagus and a rich mushroom sauce, made with Swiss Brown, Porcini and White Button mushrooms. Instead of pouring the sauce over the beef, I served it seperately to allow people to put the sauce where they wanted to put it, and to also give the dish a really clean presentation. The beef was a huge hit with our guests.

Rare Grass Fed Beef

with Potato Galette, Three Mushroom Sauce and Spring Asparagus

For dessert, I decided on a semifreddo, but with a bit of a twist - using a yoghurt and cream base instead of the standard cream and egg yolk base. The result was a velvety, slightly tangy semifreddo which I made up in a flexible silicone muffin pan to make moulded individual serves. I flavoured the mixture with some beautiful golden Hunter Valley honey which we bought at a roadside farm stall on a weekend away recently. Really fragrant and beautiful, with just the right amount of sweetness for the cream and yoghurt.

I teamed the semifreddo with an almond and pistachio praline (I made a batch of this a few weeks ago and had a nice big jar full, ready to use) and some sweet Queensland pineapple, which I caramelised with brown sugar in a hot pan. I served the final dessert with edible flowers from the garden to go with the whole Spring theme.

Honey Yoghurt Semifreddo

with Almond and Pistachio Praline and Caramelised Pineapple

I really enjoyed putting this Spring lunch together and sharing it with our lovely visitors from Tokyo. Imagine my delight when Miko presented me with a parting gift of good quality Wasabi and a supply of Bonito flakes she had brought all the way from Japan for me. What a fabulous gift! I see a whole lot more Japanese inspired dishes in my future. We are planning on getting to Japan in our travels eventually, and it will be fantastic to have Miko and Nao to show us where all the good food and Sake is! It was fantastic to catch up after 27 years - and sharing a meal together was the perfect way to do it.

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Frittata - With a little help from my friends......

I'm heading off with my other Beatles obsessed friends to our mate Damon's house this afternoon to play the eagerly anticipated "Beatles Rock Band". Word has it that he has set up his attic to accomodate us (closest thing we have to "The Cavern"!) and I have no doubt it will be a riotously entertaining time for all. Lots of gin and tonics and bad singing will ensue, I'm sure. Now, even the real Fab Four must have had to stop for a snack break occasionally, so I cooked a few things this morning to make sure that we keep our strength up for those dodgy renditions of "I am the walrus". The recipe I'm posting today is one of the things I have made to take to Damon's.

Today's dish is a simple to make mushroom, leek and fennel frittata but I have given it a bit of a twist by serving it with a delicious, fresh tasting horseradish and mint cream. I will be serving small slices of it with a dollop of the cream on the top. Of course you can serve the frittata alone if you want to. This dish works as a finger food but would also be a nice spring entree or a vegeatarian main course. It would also be perfect for a picnic.
Either way, you'll love it. (Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!)

Mushroom, Leek and Fennel Frittata with Mint and Horseradish Cream

You will need: (For the frittata) 1 doz free range eggs, 1 cup cream, 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup grated parmesan, 1 bulb fennel sliced finely, 1 large onion sliced finely, 1 large leek sliced finely, 1/2 cup sliced spring onion, About 3 cups sliced mushrooms, 1 tablespoon finely chopped continental parsley, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, splash of olive oil, salt and pepper.

(For the topping) 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup natural yoghurt (I use an organic Greek style yoghurt), 1 tablespoon each of chopped continental parsley and fresh mint, 1 tablespoon horseradish cream ( You will find this in the mustard/condiment section of the supermarket)

Method: First, combine all of the topping ingredients well and then refrigerate until you areready to serve.

In a frypan, add a splash of olive oil, the spring onions,regular onion, fennel and leek. Cook on a moderate heat for about 5 minutes. You do not want the ingredients to brown, so keep an eye on it. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5-8 minutes, until the fennel and leeks are soft. Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, cream, grated parmesan, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.

Line a baking dish with baking paper. Tip the leek/fennel mixture into the dish and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top and mix it in a little bit, so it doesn't all sit on the surface. Pour over the egg mixture and ensure it is evenly distributed.

Sprinkle with the parsley and cook in a moderate oven for about 20 mins, until the frittata is set. Let it cool for at least 10mins before cutting it into pieces. Serve topped with a spoonful of the horseradish cream mixture and some extra mint leaves.

This recipe will make around 40 small pieces or will serve 6-8 people as an entree or main course.

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Flower Power

I practically skipped and did fairy claps in the greengrocer this morning when I arrived to find that the first zucchini flowers of the season had appeared. To me, nothing means spring like these delicate beauties and along with asparagus, I think they are one of the best spring vegetables available. When choosing zucchini flowers, smaller is better. The zucchini should be bright green and unblemished and the flowers should show no sign of brown discolouration. Because they are so delicate, they don't cope with longterm storage or rough treatment, so treat them with lots of TLC and cook them within a day or so of purchasing. Here they are, fresh from the grocer.....

As well as the zucchini, I also noticed the most vibrant, glossy, fire engine red peppers for sale too and I got to thinking that I would build a dish around these ingredients. The result is a luscious, smoky flavoured scarlet coloured soup that is a delicious contrast the the freshness of the zucchini flowers. Add a filling with the creaminess of ricotta and the tang of lemon and you have a fabulous dish that just screams spring. This would be a great vegetarian main course or a lovely starter for a dinner party. A lot of recipes call for coating the zucchini in a light batter and frying them however I admit I'm not a big fan of this technique. I think it overshadows the clean, fresh taste of the produce so I just cook mine in the oven with a little olive oil.

This recipe is actually two, and you could easily serve the two elements seperately. The soup would be great hot or cold by itself and the zucchini would be a nice addition to an antipasto platter or draped with prosciutto as an entree. Feel free to make the soup the day before if you want to get the pepper roasting/peeling out of the way early. The soup will also freeze well but don't try to freeze the zucchini.

And here is the finished dish....

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup

with ricotta filled spring zucchini flowers

You will need: (for the soup) 4 whole red peppers (capsicums), 2 red onions, 6 large Roma (egg) tomatoes, 6 whole peeled cloves garlic, olive oil, 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon paprika, splash of Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper.

Method: Drizzle some olive oil over the peppers and put them in a baking dish lined with baking paper. Bake them in a hot oven for about 45 minutes. They will scorch in places and you will probably hear a lot of sizzling and popping noises as they cook. This is as it should be.

While the peppers are cooking, roughly chop the onion. Cut the tomatoes in quarters and remove the seeds. Combine the onions,tomatoes, salt and pepper in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Combine well.

When the peppers are done, carefully remove them and put them all in a plastic bag. Tie up the bag and leave the peppers to cool for a few minutes. They will steam a little and this will make removing the skins (the next step) a whole lot easier.

Add the tomato/onion mixture to your baking dish and cook them in a hot oven for about 25 mins. While they are cooking, carefully remove the skin. core and seeds from the peppers. You will be left only with the flesh and it will be sweet and caramelised. Take extra care to ensure that you get rid of all the seeds, as they can be very bitter and will ruin the taste of your final dish.

When the tomatoes are done, transfer the mixture to a saucepan and add the roasted peppers, stock, paprika, tabasco, sugar and salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and let the ingredients cook for about 15 mins. Now puree the mixture till smooth (I use a hand blender) and taste for seasoning. Adjust if required.

You will need: (For the zucchini) 8 young zucchini with flowers attatched, 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese, Grated rind of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon each of mint and continental parsley, salt and pepper.

Method: Combine all of the ingredients except the zucchini and mix well. Set aside.

Now, prepare the zucchini. Be very gentle when handling them, as the blooms are very fragile. Also, do not wash them - the petals will become sodden and they will be impossible to work with. If they need a clean, use a damp paper towel on the zucchini only, not the flower.

Gently open the flower and remove and disgard the yellow/white stamen inside. Taking a teaspoon of the ricotta filling, carefully fill the flower and close the petals around the filling. Give them a little twist at the top to keep everything contained.

Drizzle the zucchini with olive oil and cook in a moderate oven for about 15 mins.

To assemble the dish: Ladle the soup (hot or cold, however you are serving it) into shallow bowls. Lay the zucchini on the top and serve. This recipe will serve 4.

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Spring Chicken

The whole stuffed chicken breast thing is a bit old fashioned and retro I know, but I wanted something more than just a plain old grilled chicken breast for dinner last night. I put together a simple but really tasty filling of ricotta and italian flavours and served it with some beautiful green peas and beans jazzed up with mint and fetta for a fresh side dish. The result was a dish that felt very spring.

Chicken breast is always the least flavoursome of the various cuts of chicken, and it is always a challenge to cook it through whilst keeping it moist and succulent. I can't count the number of times I've been served overcooked, dry and tasteless chicken! The technique I used for this recipe is a great way to ensure that your chicken breast stays moist and retains as much flavour as possible. Sear first, then bake in the oven and be sure to rest it before serving for a tender result.

I made this dish up as I went along last night, but I think I will be cooking it again. The lightness of the dish and the lovely fresh flavours were really enjoyable. It would make a great do-ahead dinner party dish - just prepare the chicken a few hours ahead up to the searing stage and refrigerate until you are ready to cook it. The side dish only takes a few minutes, so you could have everything done in under half an hour. Anyway, here it is......

Ricotta, olive and tomato filled breast of chicken

with minted beans and fetta

You will need: For the chicken (Per person)1 skinless chicken breast, 1 tablespoon ricotta, 1 teaspoon chopped black olives, 1 teaspoon grated parmesan, 1 teaspoon semi dried tomatoes, 1 teaspoon finely chopped spring onion, salt and pepper, olive oil.

For the side dish:(Serves up to 4) 1 cup peas, 1/2 cup sliced green beans, 1/2 cup peeled broad beans, 1 tablespoon finely sliced fresh mint, 2 tablespoons crumbled fetta, pepper, salt, a squeeze of fresh lemon (plus some extra lemon slices to serve), extra virgin olive oil.

Method: Combine the ricotta, olives, parmesan semi dried tomatoes, spring onion and salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

Carefully cut a deep pocket in the chicken breast/s. Gently fill the cavity with the stuffing. Rub the outside of the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a frypan/grill pan and sear the chicken till golden on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and bake in a moderate oven for about 15 mins. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To prepare the veges - steam the green beans, peas and broad beans. When cooked, toss through the mint, fetta, salt and pepper and a generous splash of olive oil. Serve with the chicken and some extra lemon and be sure to pour any juices from the chicken over the dish.

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