Dragon Fruit Muffins - (AKA Pitahaya Or Pitaya)

Dragon fruit?  I do believe dragon fruit is a cactus, indigenous to the Americas.  It can have white, pink or yellow flesh.  I used pink-fleshed chunks, fresh from the supermarket freezer :-)  And some dragon fruit powder, delightfully, iridescently pink.  The basic muffin recipe (by Suzanne Gibbs) is from an ancient recipe I cut from a New Idea magazine aeons ago.  It called for blueberries, but I wanted to change it up.  So here we are!

see the dragon fruit seeds?

I made these in the morning, before Mr P. and I (and our friend Mr. N.) were to give a talk at the local Historical Society, of which we are members.  This was a talk we had previously given at our other Hist. Soc.  Yes, we are in two!   This one was postponed 3 times (over 18 months) due to Covid, so we were happy to finally be able to present it. 

Hubby to the left of me; Mr. N. on the right

And that's Frank Corley on the very right.  We had a lot of fun giving this talk at the Windsor & Districts Historical Society.  The funny thing is when you type in Windsor Hist. Soc., the English one pops up, so you get people adding posts to that one.  Just a wee bit far away ...

ingredients:

250g. (2 cups) plain flour (wholemeal if you have it)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb soda

2 tsp dragon fruit powder (optional)

1/2 tsp of nutmeg, and of cinnamon, and of salt

165g. (3/4 cup) demerara or raw sugar

45g. (1.6 oz) melted butter

180 mL (3/4 cup) buttermilk

1 cup frozen dragon fruit (150g.) - or blueberries or fruit of your choice

extra demerara and/or raw caster sugar to strew on top before baking

Method:

Sift the dry ingredients (EXCEPT the sugar) into a large mixing bowl, then whisk the sugar into the sifted mixture

Stir in the butter, buttermilk and fruit till just mixed - be gentle; you don't want to get the gluten into a frenzy

Spoon in the batter so your muffin holes (cups?) are three quarters full, then sprinkle on the extra sugar, if using

Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven 190C/375F for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden, have risen and smell deeeelicious 

Notes:

My batter was very dry, so I ended up adding about 60 mL (3-4 tbs) extra milk; still a rather dry, lumpy batter but that's okay!

I made my own buttermilk as I didn't have any: 3/4 cup milk to 2.5 tsp of lemon juice (or use a mild vinegar).  Leave it sit for 10 minutes, then you will have a delightfully lumpy, curdled mixture ready for the baking

sift your dry ingredients (bar the sugar) 

make your buttermilk

introduce the wet to the dry

a pretty dry batter

whack 'em in the oven for 15-20 mins.

after 20 mins. baking

they didn't last long

not too sweet, moist and fruity

Sadly the pink batter turns into a caramel-coloured muffin.  'Twas delicious nonetheless.  I feel another batch coming on soon ...

© Sherry M.

Pickled Cucumbers - The Quick And Easy Way

Pickles - the quick and easy Curtis Stone way.  Curtis, a well-known TV chef and food writer, lives in the U.S., but is originally an Aussie boy.  He writes a monthly column for the Coles supermarket magazine, and this was one of his latest recipes.  I figured I could put this together even with my wrecked ribcage, so I did - with just a few tweaks.  (All the optional items are my additions.)

Next time I will use the smaller amount of sugar, as it was too sweet for me, but see how you go ...  Curtis just blithely states to use 1 cup, but wow, that's very sweet.  I've had the pickles in my fridge for a week, but I'm getting through them like the clappers (an ancient British phrase, but I like to use it - tee hee).  Great on sandwiches, and good for your gut health.

ready to go into the fridge

ingredients:

5 Lebanese cucumbers (about 12-15cm/5-6 in) long

1 tbs sea salt

1/2-1 cup (110-220g.) of caster sugar

1 cup (250 mL) apple cider vinegar

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

10 black peppercorns (optional)

2 small red chillies (optional)

2 bay leaves (optional)

6 mountain pepper berries (optional)

Method:

Slice those cukes nice and thin, after topping and tailing of course :)

Place them into a sterilised jar (or 2) then add all the other ingredients

Give it a good swirl, leave on the kitchen bench for 3 days, swirling once a day, then into the fridge, where they will happily last for at least a week (or 2)

Notes:

Lebanese cukes are those cute little ones, with dark-green skin

It's hot and humid here in Brisbane atm, so I only kept mine out for 2 nights

Curtis says to use a 450 mL/1 lb jar, but I only had 2 smaller ones

gather your ingredients

thinly slice those cukes

ready for the vinegar

vinegar in; ready for jarring

now to sit for 3 days

© Sherry M.

In My Kitchen - November 2021

I'm heading out soon for my first haircut in? ...  how many months?  Can't recall:-)  My hair is a mess, just like my bones these days.  Maybe by Christmas, I'll be back to normal, with any luck.  Here's hoping.  Actually, I have started to feel a good bit better after 9 weeks!!

November you have come at us like a meteor or a comet or a freight train or something.  Where did the year go?  Eeeek; not possible that the Christmas prep (i.e. cards and gifts and food planning) is almost upon us.  

But anyways, here is my kitchen this month; a bit sad and wobbly like me, but still in there.  Mr P. has been doing most of the cooking lately.  Thank goodness for husbands who cook, and shop, and tuck you into bed when you can't even roll over.

In My Kitchen:

books!

I love Dr. Annie Gray and I love Kathy Hipperson and I love Mrs. Crocombe.  You must watch her on Youtube - the English Heritage channel!  So delightful, so relaxing.  And that's my kitchen poster the books are lying on.  A friend requested one for her Christmas gift this year, so I do as I am asked :-)

and another cookbook

Desiree is my new food guru :-)  She is Canadian, has a wonderful smile, and she is an actual dietitian who knows her stuff.  I love her Instagram account too where she debunks all the junk, and tells you about the good stuff.

olive oil tasting

This is almost a curveball.  Cobram Estate who have olive groves in Australia and California are doing (have done by the time you read this) a Guiness Book of Records challenge for the biggest virtual olive oil tasting ever.  And we did it!  They had over 11,000 people for the virtual tasting.  Such fun.  And yes we did have actual olive oils to taste, as they sent out the kits weeks before.   

yep another wooden spoon

This is a sweet little skinny spoon carved out of walnut wood by Thea Conway.  Love her stuff, and love a wooden spoon.  But you know that already :-)

and there was medieval hummus

We love this stuff (aka Himmas Kassa), and eat it by the bucketful.  So tasty, my dear.  Full of spices and herbs, and nuts and preserved lemons.  So good on toast!  Somehow I managed to make it, broken rib and all.

love these!

I love these, but they are no longer on my eating list.  Since Mr P.'s health scare recently, we have cut down on delicious things like this.  He has lost 5 kilos already while I have only lost 2.5!  But as a friend said, "you haven't been doing anything physical because of the rib."  Anyway, it's not about losing weight as about keeping healthy.

That's it from my kitchen.  Now let's see yours, my friends.  Every being on this planet and on any others are welcome!  And here's the usual reminder, folks: IMK posts are about your kitchen (and kitchen garden) happenings over the past month.  Dishes you've cooked, preserves you've made, herbs and veg in your garden, kitchen gadgets, and goings-on.  And a curveball is welcome - whatever you fancy; no need to be kitchen-related.  

The link is open from the first of the month to midnight on the thirteenth of the month.  Let me know if you need help with adding your post, or if you would like it added manually by me after the 13th (if you're running late). Here's how to join in:

Options for adding your post to IMK:

1. Add via the Add Link button at the bottom of this post.  Instructions can be found on the sidebar of this page, under   the Add your IMK link OR:

2. Comment on this post, providing a link to your post so I can    add it manually to the list below OR:

3. Email me: sherrym1au@gmail.com, with your link or   any queries about the link process

In My Kitchen:

Not Quite Nigella

Lavender & Lime

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The No-Lasagne Lasagne - And Sans Tomato!

Regular readers may remember that I'm not a huge fan of pasta or tomatoes.  I always snigger when I watch TV cooks stating that EVERYONE loves pasta.  Nope, not me.  As I've undoubtedly said before, yes I eat both pasta and tomatoes when necessary but only when it's necessary - like when your sister-in-law's sister-in-law feeds it to you for dinner :-)

Since Mr P. and I are being careful with our fats and carbs these days, I decided to make the no-lasagne/no tomato lasagne.  Even hubby who looooves pasta and loves tomato sauce enjoyed this version.  The sauce is uncooked so it has a freshness and vibrancy which I really like.  I don't like that stewed taste and texture of long-simmered tomato sauce.  Uuuurrgghhh ...  Sorry, all you tomato fans!

ready to start layering

Serves 3-4:

ingredients:

For the sauce:

1/2 red onion, chopped roughly

2 x 330g./12 oz jars of whole roasted capsicums/red peppers, drained - but reserve the liquid

1-2 tsp garlic granules or 2 garlic cloves

a handful of herbs of your choice, roughly chopped - parsley and chives for me

2-3 tbs tomato paste (yep, I did use the paste)

1/3-1/2 cup of the drained liquid from the capsicums

several (or lots) dashes of Tabasco sauce (Mr P. insisted on heaps)

1 tsp shichimi togarashi (optional)

1 tsp Umami Black (optional) - see notes

salt and pepper, to taste - maybe 1/2-1 tsp salt and 10 grinds of the  pepper mill

1 tsp EV olive oil

For the "lasagne":

3 zucchini (about 500g./18 oz), very thinly sliced into ribbons

200g./7 oz mushrooms, sliced thinly

200g./7 oz tin of tuna (tuna again :-)? Yep)  - optional

250g./9 oz tub of cottage cheese or ricotta 

120-150g./4-5 oz parmesan, grated

3-4 tbs panko breadcrumbs

Method:

First make your sauce; you can make it in the morning or even the day before so the flavours can meld together

Put the chopped onion into your food processor/blender and zap a few times, then throw in the rest of the sauce ingredients and blitz/pulse till you have a lovely smooth(ish) sauce - you will end up with about 500 mL/17 oz of sauce

When you're ready, grab yourself a medium-sized baking dish or rectangular casserole dish (I used an enamel baking dish) and smear 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce over the bottom

Then start layering: 

Place a layer of zucchini then mushrooms over the sauce

Next add a layer of cottage cheese, Parmesan and more sauce

And continue: more zucchini and mushrooms, then the tuna and cottage cheese, some Parmesan and more sauce

Finish up with zucchini, sauce, cottage cheese if any left, and Parmesan

Add the salt, pepper and panko over the top

Bake at 185C/365F for about 50-60 minutes till golden on top

Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes, and serve with a salad if you fancy

Notes:

Mr P. sliced the zucchinis into thin slivers of about 3mm (that's an eighth of an inch)

What's a handful of herbs?  Maybe 1/2 to 1 cup, more or less

What is Umami Black?  It comes from an Aussie company MBK for Life, (not an ad!) and is made up of dried kelp and black garlic.  Very good for your liver apparently

gather the sauce ingredients

into the processor

blitzed!

ready to layer

grate that cheese and grab that jar of tuna

layering commences :-)

keep layering

more sauce

on goes the tuna

ready for the oven at 185C

ready for eating

I told some friends I made lasagne without pasta.  They looked at me agog and askance.  Then I told 'em Mr P. kindly sliced up the zukes at 2.5mm/0.1 inch, and they were even more agogly (made this word up!) amazed.  Well, Mr P. is a building designer so measurements are his thing, my dears.  So of course he did a perfect job!

artwork © Sherry M.

Tuna Green Beans And Red Potatoes Salad

As regular readers know, I have been out of action for many weeks due to a broken rib and other health issues.  I think I'm seeing some light at the end of this loooong and painful tunnel, so here we have a new post from me!  With the dish mostly put together by Mr P., we made a salad with some tuna fillets.  He is on a new eating plan (as am I) so we are eating many salads and lots of raw nuts and seeds.

And I really want to say a big thank you to everyone who has asked after me, and sent me well wishes.  I really appreciate the concern and care.  It's very cheering to know there is a wonderful and caring blogging community out there.  Who knew that starting a blog all those years ago would lead to lovely new friends?

tasty and healthy (crumbs, that fish looks weird)

ingredients:

400-500g./1 lb raw tuna fillets (or meaty fish of your choice)

8 baby red potatoes (about 450g./1 lb), boiled or steamed till tender

200g./7 oz green beans, boiled or steamed till done

3-4 large eggs, boiled and halved

2 x baby cos or Gem lettuces, chopped roughly

1/2 tin (200g.) cannellini beans, drained

a big handful of pitted green olives (or black or stuffed)

cherry tomatoes - a biiiig handful (or 2) is good

and a biiig handful of nuts and sunflower seeds and pepitas

herbs - lots! - I used parsley and chives

a dressing of your choice - I used a miso and sesame vinaigrette

salt and pepper 

Method:

Grill or bake or fry the tuna till medium-rare or however you like it, and let it cool

Boil or steam the halved spuds till tender and allow to cool

Boil or steam the trimmed green beans till ... just right for you

Boil the eggs as you like them, and peel 'em!

Wash and pull the lettuce apart, and shake off excess water

Drain the cannellini (use them all, or put half into the fridge for later)

Halve the olives and tomatoes (or leave whole, as you choose)

Chop or tear the herbs

Make your dressing (or shake it out from the bottle)

Flake the fish apart, chuck everything into a big bowl, whack in the dressing and toss gently - or just serve the fish fillet in one piece as we did :-) 

Notes:

Make sure you buy good quality fish; we bought frozen fillets and they were a wee bit ... well, not so nice (I am going to email the company as their cooking instructions were abominable!)  But use a good brand of tinned or jarred tuna if you are pressed for time ... or energy (I like to use a jar of tuna in EVOO)

Use whatever potato you fancy - I just happen to like the texture and colour of these red babies

cook up your fish

get Mr P. to halve the tomatoes

chuck everything into a big salad bowl

boil those eggs

in go the potatoes and olives

add dressing

all in the bowl

and eat (yes, it really is tuna, I promise)

Thanks once again to those who asked after me.  It helped to know people were thinking of me, in a very dark hour!  And to those who sent cards (and a book!), I thank you from the bottom of my vulnerable and grateful heart.

© Sherry M.

In My Kitchen - October 2021

Update:  This will be quick!  I am not well, but have managed to put up a bit of an IMK post.  This is as far as I got - Hello friends!  Here we are, and here I am - back again and mostly in one piece (not so much anymore).  What a long, hard haul it has been.  Do NOT ever slip on a wet bathroom floor!  Still seems unreal that such a tiny slip could cause so much bother.  

In My Kitchen:

more Tassie EV olive oil 

Yep, more EVOO.  I bought this some time ago, and it's still in my pantry.  Mr P. and I are trying to cut down our fat intake, so it may sit for a bit longer.

some Greek goodies from The Greek Providore

I bought these recently online from a Sydney retailer, thinking I had been a customer before - but no!  These are from the Greek Providore while I had previously bought from the Grecian Purveyor.  Not important of course, but just a bit funny.  And everything is delicious.

Japanese knife made by Yoshifumi Otsuka

Otsuka-san is a third-generation blacksmith in Japan.  The knife is made from Japanese iron sand and walnut.  It's such a lovely piece, and feels wonderful in the hand.

a cute little sake cup from Magnolia Mountain

I have quite a few items from Magnolia Mountain, as you may have noticed in previous IMKs.  But would anyone be able to resist this little darling?  It's a sake cup but I will find other uses for it.

the cutest little fridge magnets!

Aren't these adorable?  They are little budgies of course - budgerigars - native Aussie birds.  Soooo cute.  And looking so stinking cute (as YouTube vlogger EmmyMade would say) on my fridge.  They are handpainted rocks, made in Queensland by Tammy of Awkward Art.

you know how I love sprinkles :-)

These were delicious - light and sweet and covered in sprinkles - with just a slight whiff of egg white, which can only be a good thing 'cos you know they're real.

beautiful Meyer lemons

One of our Tassie friends was passing through Brisbane on the weekend, and gifted us these golden globes from her garden.  Mm, now what to make?  Lemon curd, lemon cordial, limoncello ...

Hope to see you with an IMK post - everyone welcome!  Check out my previous IMK posts for info as to how to join in.  Sorry, I am too sick to do more right now :-(  And I may not get to commenting on your posts for a while.  Take care!

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