Lemon Amaretti Cream Pots

"And now for something completely different" - as they used to say on Monty Python.  I have been meaning to post this one for a bit.  And I thought we needed a sweet treat as a change-up to my recent posts.

This is a super simple recipe, and very delicious.  The wonderful Nigel Slater has this one in his book the kitchen diaries.  I love Nigel, and I really enjoy his TV cooking shows.  I made this recipe for Lambs' Ears Cookbook Club, as Nigel's book is our whole-year go-to this year.

getting ready to fold in all the delicious bits

Serves 6 (or less - hehehe):

ingredients:

300 mL/10 oz double/thickened cream

250g./9 oz Greek-style yoghurt (i.e. thick and plain)

280g./9.5 oz good quality lemon curd (homemade would be good)  see Notes

60g./2 oz mascarpone (optional)

100g./3.5 oz amaretti biscuits, bashed up till you have sandy bits and chunky bits and gravelly bits   see Notes

a handful of slivered almonds for serving (optional)

amaretti

Method:

Whip your cream till you have soft peaks, then fold in the yoghurt, lemon curd and mascarpone

Now take your bashed-up amaretti biscuit crumbs and chunks, and tip them into your cream mixture

Fold them gently in, and spoon into small dishes/ramekins

Into the fridge for a few hours, then serve with small biscuits (maybe more amaretti?)

And add the slivered almonds, if using

Notes:

I ended up using 350g. of lemon curd!  So sue me; I like it :=)  And 190g. of amaretti

ingredients gathered

looking good

yes quite delicious

and I threw in some mini nocciola (hazelnut) wafer rolls

and here's some yoghurt

(Oh, did I mention it's my birthday on the 23rd?  Today as this is posted.  Heading out to Bookclub tonight at our local bookshop The Quick Brown Fox; we are reading The Nocturnals by Frances Whiting, a local writer and journalist.  And she will be there!!)

Lemon (and Lime) Chutney

Winter is a-coming, and citrus season will be bouncing along soon.  I love me a bit of citrus, and I love some chutney, so here is a lemon and lime chutney I made.  (Don't tell, but I actually made this one last winter.)

The fruit trees in neighbours' yards are full of lovely lemons at the moment, and I am very tempted to grab some.  I could always knock on their doors, and suggest sharing some produce and homemade goodies, of course.    

We are very lucky in our street to have wonderfully community-minded folk around us.  One neighbour - I'll call him Mr B. - moves the rubbish bins in and out for us (and our doctor neighbour Ms. M) on rubbish day.  And we often share produce and cakes and so on.  I handed out some of the blueberry-lemon loaf I made last week to a couple of neighbours, and in return Ms. P gave us some Basque cheesecake - delicious!  Oh yes, Mr B. also mows the lawns for us and the young doctor.  We are very lucky!

citrus-y, tangy and sweet!

(Gives you 3 x 150g./5.3 oz jars, says Karon: I only ended up with 2!)

Recipe by Karon Grieve from Larder Love blog:

ingredients:

500g./18 oz lemons, zested   see Notes

125g./4.5 oz onions, peeled and chopped    see Notes

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbs EV olive oil

250g./9 oz apples, peeled and chopped

125g./4.5 oz sultanas

1/2 tsp chilli, chopped  (I used 1-2 dried chillies)

1/2 Tbs fresh ginger, grated

1/2 tsp sea salt

350 mL/12 oz cider vinegar

225g./8 oz white sugar

garlic bulb

Method:

Peel the fruit, and zest it (or chop finely), then roughly chop the flesh

Tip the flesh only at this point into your food processor, and give it a good pulsing 

Sauté the chopped onions (in a heavy-based saucepan) in the heated olive oil for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and the chopped apples - and cook (on a low to medium heat) for 10 minutes till tender

Now add the lemon zest/peel and the zapped lemon flesh, the sultanas, the chilli, the ginger, the salt and HALF of the vinegar

Simmer for about 30 minutes till the peel is tender

You then add the other half of the vinegar, and also the sugar into the pan

Stir the mixture till the sugar is dissolved and the chutney has thickened

Pour/spoon into very clean jars, and let it mature for a fortnight

(Can be kept for a year, says Karon, and use within a month of opening)

zest that lime - or lemon!

Notes:

I used a mix of lemons and limes, so do as you please :=)

Peel the onions, then weigh them out to the required amount

lemon!

fresh ginger root

ingredients gathered

sauté and stir the onions, garlic and apples

simmer till tender

and spoon into some sterilised jars ...

red chillies

Green Tabasco-Style Hot Sauce

While on our recent road trip, Mr P. and I stayed a night in a re-purposed pottery shed, now a delightful guest cottage.  The owners had just rescued a young sheep, as a companion for their other young sheep, so I got to feed this gorgeous baby her bottle.  So cute!  And she was amazingly strong.  And her wool was incredible - so tough, and firm, like nothing I had ever felt before.  I think they said she was a mini-Dorset sheep (or was it a Babydoll sheep?), grown for its meat usually.  They are not going to eat her, don't worry! 

interior of the cottage/pottery shed

This recipe is from a book called Giffords Circus Cookbook, by Nell Gifford and Ols Halas.  (I had a quick read of this fascinating book, which was lurking in the cottage bookshelves.)  This is a real circus and restaurant that travels throughout the U.K.  Nell who was also an artist sadly died in 2019 from breast cancer.  Her niece took over the circus, after Nell died.  I can hardly get my head around a travelling circus/restaurant (!), much less a woman who painted sixty paintings in a year before she died.  And guess what?  She was the half-sister to Emma Bridgewater!  I love Emma's pottery pieces, and as you may know, I have a small collection of her mugs and plates.  Mm, that reminds me I still want to buy one of her eggplant dishes ...

the book!

Makes 1 small bottle (maybe 250 mL?):

ingredients:

200 mL/7 oz white wine vinegar

2 tsp sea salt flakes

1-2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped

100g./3.5 oz green jalapeño chillies/peppers, de-seeded and thinly sliced  see Notes

Method:

Put the vinegar, salt and garlic into a small saucepan, and bring it to the boil

Throw in the chillies, boil it for a minute or two, then take off the heat and let it rest for ten minutes (at least)

Blend this in a food processor (till smooth, says Nell)

Pour this green mixture into the sterilised bottle, seal it and store in the fridge (Nell doesn't mention the fridge till after you open it, but we live in hot and humid Queensland)

Nell also says it will keep in the fridge once opened for a week, but I have had it there for seven weeks, and still all good!  It tastes bloody good, I must say

ingredients gathered

macerating the chillies

the yoghurt cure!

We tried everything on my hand for the burn - milk, ice, water ... only the yoghurt left on for a couple of hours actually helped!  And I barely touched the chillies with my knife hand. 

really hot and delicious!

Notes:

I kept in some of the seeds, 'cos we like it hot!  As some readers will know, when I was chopping up the jalapeños for this, I foolishly only wore a glove on one hand, not the knife hand.  Oh silly me!  I had never realised properly before that chilli burns like fire! - and for hours.  So don't do what I did; wear the gloves!

I would love to make this again, but with red jalapeños.  I think that would be a fabulous change-up.

chillies!

I nearly forgot to tell you the story of the disasters when we stayed in the cottage.  We were seated at the table on wooden chairs, one of which decided to die, and threw Mr P. on the ground!  And then one of the lamps died, and he got an electric shock from it when we tried to check out what was going on with it.  I'm pretty sure there was a third disaster, but I've blocked it out :=)  Oh yes, I remember - the air con kept turning itself off, and the outside sensor light kept going on whenever we went to the fridge.  Interesting! :=)  But no worries.

the Bonville Headland Lookout at Sawtell, NSW

This Headland looks to the south, showing a beautiful sandy beach.  My previous photos were of Boambee Headland Lookout, looking north.

The owners of the Pottery Shed are very interesting people; she is English and he is American and they live here in Australia.  The cottage sits on their 1.5 acre rural property in the Boambee valley, near Coffs Harbour.  We have stayed there twice now, and will happily go back.  Not an ad by the way; just happy we stayed there.  And we didn't give a hoot about the accidents; we had a fine time!

(Joining in with Jo from Brookford Kitchen Diaries for BKD Cookbook Club.)

Moroccan-Style Tuna With Eggplant And Spicy Yoghurt

We like to eat fish in this household.  We have salmon once or twice a fortnight, (tinned) tuna for lunch once or twice a week, and I also enjoy some tinned sardines now and then.  Meat on the other hand - mm, probably a bit of beef mince once a month!  Hubby and I were both vegetarians in our youth (quite separate to each other).

To be honest, I think this was the first time I had ever cooked with fresh tuna.  I do enjoy a bit of sashimi, but sadly am a bit wary these days due to getting food poisoning from some salmon.  But I am very happy to have fish lightly grilled or baked, like this dish.   

we had the tuna with rice vermicelli noodles

Speaking of all things fish, reminds me of a trip to China years ago, where we were given a dish of ... jellyfish (?) in a clear, sweet liquid.  Of course, there were also chicken feet, and things of which we knew not.  Will never forget the sight of a businessman in his suit, briefcase in one hand, and live, squawking hen in the other.  I'd imagine his wife was awaiting the chook so she could start dinner ...

(Recipe from Belinda Jeffery's Utterly Delicious Simple Food.)

Belinda gives this recipe for 6 diners; I reduced it to 4, so pretty much halved the other ingredients

Serves 4:

ingredients:

Tuna marinade:

1-2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cummin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika

a big pinch of cayenne pepper, or chilli flakes

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

30 mL/1 hefty ounce of lemon juice

120 mL/4 oz EV olive oil

sea salt flakes and black pepper, to taste

Spicy yoghurt:

200g./7 oz plain Greek yoghurt

1 very tiny clove of garlic, finely chopped

40 mL/1.4 oz EV olive oil

1 tsp ground cummin

sea salt flakes

The Tuna and Eggplant:

4 tuna steaks around 100g./3.5 oz each (or bigger, if you fancy)  see Notes

600-700g./21-25 oz eggplant

80 mL/2.8 oz EV olive oil

mint or coriander leaves, for garnish

lemon wedges, to serve

ye olde eggplant

not a hint of soap here :=)

Method:

Start early! - make the marinade a couple of hours before you want to cook the fish

So, grab a large bowl, chuck in the marinade ingredients, give it a good whisking and then: leave the tuna in a flat (non-reactive) dish, pour over about a third or so of the marinade (you want the fish all covered), cover the dish with clingfilm or a lid, and let it rest easy for a couple of hours in the fridge (and Belinda suggests giving the steaks a turn every so often)

The rest of the marinade goes into a jug, and into the fridge

Now the eggplant: 

Oven on to 220C/430F to heat up; and line a large baking tray with baking paper

Slice up your eggplant lengthwise into quarters, then wedges

Chuck 'em into a bowl, and toss with the olive oil, then on to the tray in a single layer

Bake for around 30 minutes or so, till golden-brown (and turn 'em over halfway thru' the cooking time)

While this is happening, mix up the spicy yoghurt and put into the fridge while you get on with cooking the fish

Either whack the steaks onto your BBQ, or grab a grill pan, and cook till as tender as you care for - Belinda suggests 1 to 2 minutes per side!  You may want more cooking time

Now put a steak on each plate, pour over a bit of the marinade from the jug, and serve with eggplant and lemon wedges 

who, me?  Yep you Mr Tuna!

Notes:

Belinda suggests making this recipe for 6, using "6 tuna steaks", without giving a weight, but Googling shows the average weight of a tuna steak is around 180g./6.5 oz.  I just happened to only be able to buy small ones!  But grab some bigger pieces, or a couple more steaks to feed another two people (and increase the amounts for the marinade and yoghurt accordingly, if so)

ingredients gathered

prepare your marinade

pour the marinade over the fish

looking golden and delicious

spicy yoghurt at the ready

Mr P. grills the tuna (in his bare feet)

strew (is that a verb?) the coriander leaves over the eggplant

feeling hungry ...

nearly ready to dig in!

dig in!

and/or throw on some mint

Peanut Chutney - and What to do With It

Chutney?  Interesting word for it.  Nah, I think this is more of a marinade-type thingy.  I made this for Cookbook Club, waaaaay back in August last year.  The recipe is from Everything is Indian by Justin Narayan.  I decided to use it as a marinade for some chicken tenderloins.  I gave half the chutney to a friend (who used it as a marinade for chicken, too), and made this for dinner.  Great minds ...

deliciously nutty

Makes approx. 200g./7 oz:

ingredients:

130g./4.5 oz unsalted peanuts OR 130g. of peanut butter

30g./1 oz white sesame seeds

1/2 brown onion, roughly chopped   see Notes

2 tsp tamarind paste  (or 2-3 tsp lemon juice)

1 Tbs lemon juice

3 small red chillies (or your fave chilli), roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves - yep, roughly chopped :=)

100-125 mL  (3.4-4.3 oz water)

sea salt flakes (1/8-1/4 tsp) and freshly ground black pepper

luckily for me, I don't taste soap when I eat fresh coriander :)

Serves 4:

For the chicken dish:

500-600g./18-21 oz chicken tenderloins (or chop up some breasts)

Peanut chutney - maybe half the jar; just have the chicken well-coated     see Notes

Lemon juice - maybe 3 Tbs

Fresh coriander leaves, torn or chopped - a big handful, or to your taste

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Rice or rice noodles, to serve

Cucumber and tomato, chopped, to serve

small red chillies

peanuts!

Method:

Grab a wee saucepan/frying pan and toast your nuts and seeds till golden brown (obvs. no need to toast the peanut butter, if  using)

Tip them into a blender or small food processor, with the other ingredients, except the salt and pepper

And blend away till it looks like the consistency of peanut butter

Add more water if you fancy it a bit thinner

Season with the salt and pepper

For the chicken dish:

Marinate the chicken pieces in the chutney for at least 30 minutes

Fry in 2 Tbs of vegetable or olive oil, which you have heated up

Add lemon juice, coriander leaves, salt and pepper

Throw on some white and/or black sesame seeds, if you like

Serve with rice or rice noodles

And chop up some cucumber, tomato and fresh coriander leaves, to go with ...

Notes:

I used peanut butter made from just peanuts and salt

The average brown onion weighs around 150-200g.; I used c. 90g.

I gave half the chutney away to a friend, so I probably used about 100g/3.5 oz for the chicken dish

Throw some mustard seeds or cummin seeds into the chutney (after blitzing to a smooth sauce) - if you fancy!

        brown onion

        cucumber

ingredients gathered

get ready to blitz!

and ... blitzed!  See how smooth :=)

ready for dinner!

Mangoes update: all 200 kilos! (maybe 150 kg.) of fruit has been laboriously picked up (even dug out) from the backyard.  The fruit bats, possums and birds are very sad!  The crows have been indignantly squawking for days about it.  I do love me a crow - so smart, so kind, dropping off gifts now and then.  And did you know? - they absolutely adore fruit.

Mr P. is very slowly getting over his cough, which has lasted for well over 3 weeks!  I can't believe I haven't caught it from him, though he has been politely sleeping downstairs so I don't get it!  Autumn is nearly here, and we have had copious amounts of rain over the last week.  And some flooding out west; it never ends here with the weird weather!!  Hope you are all doing well, my friends.

Guess who?  Yes, moi!  (c. G McKinnon)