Plum, Lentil and Ham Salad - And A Book Review

Who are your fave cookbook authors?  I love Nigella and have most of her books.  I also really like Alison Holst, Belinda Jeffery and today's book review victim Nigel Slater. We were visiting the National Library on the weekend to see the current Celestial Empire exhibition, and of course I couldn't resist the library shop. 

I love this cover 

On a small table by the entrance, they had some specials including this book of Nigel Slater's called Notes From The Larder.  There is something about his prose that I just love.  And I can hear him in my head when reading it; that wonderful, distinctive voice he has. So I flipped through to September looking for autumnal recipes, and found this chunky, zippy salad.  Just what you need on a night where Summer is coming to a close, but still lingers in the air.

Serves 2

ingredients:

1 cup small green lentils - about 200g.

1 tbs olive oil

1 cup fresh mint, chopped

2 cups fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup fresh coriander, chopped

2 spring onions, finely sliced

200g. plums

150g. seedless grapes, red or green

80g. walnuts, chopped

juice of a large lemon

3 more tbs olive oil - I used 2 of olive and 1 of smoked olive oil

1 tbs raspberry (or another slightly sweet) vinegar

1/2 tsp lightly dried chilli flakes

salt and pepper to taste -  I added some smoked salt also

100g. ham, prosciutto or your fave meat, diced or chopped


Method:

Rinse the lentils, then boil rapidly for about 35 minutes till tender

Drain and rinse quickly under cold water

Tip them into a mixing bowl and stir the olive oil through them

Throw in the chopped herbs and spring onions

De-seed and chop up the plums

Into the mixing bowl they go with the grapes and nuts

Squeeze over the juice, add the extra olive oil, vinegar and seasoning

Stir everything together gently

Fold the diced meat through the salad

soak then rinse your little green babies 

into the pot, stir and boil rapidly till tender            

gather your ingredients    

add the oil to the drained and rinsed lentils     

get snipping!    

stir in all the other ingredients et voilà - autumn salad for dinner 

Tips:

Soak the lentils in cold water before boiling if you remember or have the time.  Even a short soak helps reduce cooking time

To chop the herbs easily, place them in a narrow bowl and snip with kitchen scissors



I love the prose in this book, and I am going to enjoy reading it like a novel.  I will have to try more recipes before I am sure of Nigel's culinary good intentions though.  To be honest, I felt this salad was a bit masculine. I know, it sounds odd but there was something very manly about it.  You would never mistake this book for one written by a female author.  It has the feel of a pipe and tweed-infested chap smoking by the fire.  

The photo accompanying his recipe looked more like nectarines and corned beef, and the amount of lentils and herbs looked suspiciously under.  There is also a dressing not mentioned in the recipe.  So I am not sure what is going on here.  There are lots of other interesting recipes I want to have a go at, and I want to check if they are more my style of eating.


I varied Nigel's recipe a fair bit to suit our tastes.  His recipe called for twice the amount of lentils; nope too much for us.  He didn't suggest any seasoning or the vinegar, and I upped the amount of oil added at the end.  I also decided to add the grapes for sweetness as the plums were very tart.  And I added the nuts for crunch, and the chilli for a bit of zing.  We ate it, we enjoyed it, but I wouldn't rush to eat it again.  Just so you know :=) 

my grapey foodle  

A. Baker - Restaurant Review

Strangely enough this is the second time in 4 months that we have been in Canberra. First time was for the Eat Drink Blog Conference in October, and this time was for our niece's ceremonial parade as she has finished her initial military training.

We did a lot of eating and drinking while away.  Hubby and I went to A. Baker for dinner the first night we were there.  I am not sure what the go is in Canberra but everywhere you go, they play loud music including here at A. Baker.  Come on folks this is annoying! You can't hear yourself think, or talk to your table mates.

Bloody Mary for me $14   

I love vodka and I love tomato juice and I love Tabasco, but boy was this strong.  I think they must have tipped the Tabasco bottle over it and just let it run.  And then emptied a pepper pot into it. Nevertheless, I drank it all and enjoyed it.  Okay, so I love a food challenge.

Mr P. had his usual ginger beer $5  

house made bread and Alto olive oil came with Mr P.'s entree       

The award-winning, house made bread was replenished quickly. Hubby loves bread so this was a pleasure to him. You can even buy their breads and pastries to take home.

you know I can't resist oysters! $3.50 each   

The oysters were okay, but they seemed a little warm and not full of that gorgeous fresh sea flavour that I love.  They were well priced though, as a couple of other restaurants had them for $6 each. Funny how snotty they look.  Who on earth first thought to eat them? :=)  Best not to look, and just swallow. 

Mr P.'s entree of Wagyu pastrami $13  

Mr P. loves a pile of cold cuts, and he really enjoyed this plate. Tender and spiced up with chillies, he scoffed it all down posthaste. You can see the marbling running through it, giving it a juicy tenderness.

duck breast $34   

  
The duck breast came with carrot in the form of a puree (delicious), baby carrots (also delish) and pickled strips (not so delicious), walnut, rye, and mulberry jus. The breast was a teeny bit over-done for me, but I love duck so it was a win anyway.  I guess the point of the pickled carrot was to add crunch and tang, but it just didn't work.  For me the flavours just didn't marry.  Other than that, a super dish with different flavours and textures.

baked local mushrooms $31  

Mr P. who often chooses a vego dish when eating out, dined on baked mushrooms with kale, soba noodles, soy, and sesame crumble.  He loves 'rooms, and noodles (kale not so much) so this was a winner for him.  He loved the sauce so much he asked for a spoon to finish it off.  He told me to say his meal was superb. There were several kinds of mushrooms, which were earthy and interesting.  He really liked the squid ink noodles too.  He even liked the kale - shock, horror.:=)  I believe the white squares are halloumi which Mr P. said were good too.  He is a man of few words.  

kinda cute chefs working their little buns off in the open kitchen    

And now to dessert.  When I booked, it states that you only get 90 minutes to eat and go.  They were very busy, so took a while to get our dessert order.  This meant we were 10 minutes over, but they didn't give us any grief and let us finish in our own time.

peanut butter mousse $16     

I love peanut butter desserts, and this PB mousse came with salty caramel crumble, popcorn, and fruit bread chips.  I loved it folks! The mousse was soft and airy (I won't use that misunderstood word 'unctuous'), and fell down my throat like soft clouds. Waxing a bit lyrical there :=).  The PB flavour was well defined but not overpowering. The popcorn and crumble were a wonderful counter point with salty, crunchy goodness. My only slight quibble was the fruit bread chips.  These were festooned with a salty sprinkle, and I do mean salty.  The salt contrasted well with the mousse, but it was just so very salty.  I ate the chips, I enjoyed them but I do think they need to tone it down a bit.

nectarines $16  

Mr P. chose nectarines for his dessert.  They came with a chamomile pannacotta, matcha tea jelly, spiced crumble, and coconut ice cream.  Neither of us like gelatine so he wasn't that keen on the pannacotta, but the ice cream was superb he said.  He cleaned his plate regardless.
  
Service was somewhat indifferent that night.  Our waiter, nice lad though he seemed, was often to be seen just standing around doing nothing.  Mr P. at one point asked him to take away our plates, so he took one!  Entree plates were not removed till dessert came to the table.  I have no idea if he was a brand new waiter, but if not there seems little excuse for such shoddy service.   

you know I love a good ceiling shot

So apart from some minor quibbles and the somewhat lacklustre service, we had an enjoyable and flavoursome meal.  I do wonder if the chefs actually have tasted some of their dishes before they send them out (not from my plate obviously)!  A. Baker is a trendy restaurant with its own garden and bakery.  They source locally, and cook seasonally and regionally so you get to eat food that represents Canberra.  We shall be back.



 

My Sunday Photo 28 February 2016

The Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial   

Our niece has just joined the RAAF, so we were down in Canberra for the big parade after her first bit of training.  It was a very moving and exciting experience.  We also visited The War Memorial for the Last Post ceremony and wreath laying ceremony. It is all very moving and hubby and I both had tears in our eyes. 

My granddad was at Gallipoli; he got blown up and was sent back to England for a year before going home to Australia.  Hubby's great-uncle was in the Light Horse in WWI so we both feel very emotional about these things.  So I suggest to you all if ever in Australia/Canberra - head here!

Fruity Chocolate Mousse - with a Surprise Twist

Fruity?  Surprise twist?  Ah chocolate...That makes everything better, doesn't it? Friends were coming over to dinner on the weekend, and just a few days beforehand, I got a text saying they were on a health kick so no dairy or sugar, or desserts.  Eek!   What to make?  Main is easy, just baked fish and salad - phew!  And the rest?  Mmm...

I was flicking through Delicious magazine the other day and I saw a vegan recipe for chocolate mousse made on fruit.  Now, it calls for raw cacao powder and honestly I was going to use it BUT when I went to the local health food store, a packet was going to cost me a mortgage payment.  So normal Dutch cocoa powder it is.  

I have varied the recipe a wee bit, as the original recipe has no sweetener at all, but I really felt it needed something.  I also doubled the amount of coconut cream as it was very thick, and needed to be thinned out a bit.  As my sister said with a twinkle in her eye, this would be really great with a bit of sugar and a whorl of cream on top :=)


Serves 4

ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas, chopped

2 ripe avocadoes, chopped

2 tbs hazelnut butter (or nut butter of your choice)

1/2 cup (40g.) of cocoa/cacao powder, raw or otherwise

4 tbs coconut cream or milk (chilled)

2-3 tbs rice bran syrup or maple syrup

a pinch of sea salt flakes

1/4 cup (30g.) cacao nibs

250g. berries of your choice - I used raspberries


Method:

Everything bar the cacao nibs and berries goes into a blender and you whizz it till smooth

Pour into a serving dish or tea cups

Chill for a couple of hours

Throw on the nibs and berries


Tips:

Add more syrup if you like it sweeter

And more coconut cream/milk if you think it is too thick

I am thinking you could even go ahead with just one banana not 2! And maybe try a bit of vanilla extract or cinnamon

I suggest using a bit less cocoa if you use Dutch cocoa rather than raw cacao powder as it is very dark and very strong - maybe 30g.

ingredients gathered 

getting ready to whizz  

nearly whizzed up!

pop in the fridge for a couple of hours    

decorate and eat  

carry to your hungry guests - hey my shirt matches the berries :=)   

my cocoa powder foodle 

My Sunday Photo 21 February 2016

gorgeous photo of my MIL    

My hubby's mum is now in a nursing home, but in her younger days she was a very stylish young woman.  Here she is at the races at age 16!  She was soon to be a wife and mother, having 6 children being the good Catholic girl that she was...and is.  This lovely frame was a Christmas gift from the nurses, so we decided to find a lovely photo of her for it.  Wasn't she a sweetheart?


  

A - Z Guidebook - Ipswich Queensland

stunning street art in Ipswich   

I love street art, and I love owls so this beautiful artwork on a traffic signal box in the historic town of Ipswich made me leap out of the car (we had stopped ha ha!) and take a few photos.  I love that you can see the traffic light hanging over the street, and the typical old houses of the area in the background.  

Ipswich is still full of historic homes on big blocks of land, but this is expected to change very rapidly.  Ipswich is a massive growth area, and the population is expected to double in the next 15 years. So get in while you can, and check out the buildings before they become townhouses.  And don't forget to head along to the Ipswich Art Gallery which has been refurbished recently.  It is a fabulous building from the 1860's, with beautiful windows and a lovely scissor beam roof.


Join in with Fiona from Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures for the monthly get-together where we showcase travel photos.  This month, the letter I is leading the race.

Spicy Plum Sauce

spicy and gloopy and delish! 

Surprisingly I love spicy food, and I love chillies.  Surprising because one of my earliest memories of eating curry was a beef dish that my Dad made for us one night.  Mum worked part time at the local hospital, so Dad would take over the cooking duties.  This particular night, he used a heap of curry powder and he left the pot on the stove and forgot about it.  Oh boy, was it burnt! Completely black like lumps of charcoal.  We were not well off so there was no question of throwing it out.  Those poor blackened and blightened bits of beef had to be eaten regardless.  

Even so, it did not diminish my love of spices.  And unlike my dad, I am very keen on chillies and garlic, and spectacular herbs like basil and coriander.  You get my drift - I love food that is full of flavour.  So we come to this recipe.  I had plums, I had spices, I had a desire to combine them into a spicy sauce.  And here it is.


ingredients:


600g. plums, roughly chopped - (don't bother to skin or de-seed)

250 mls. cider vinegar

250 mls. water

175g. brown sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 cm. piece of ginger root, grated

1/2 tsp allspice

3 cloves or 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cinnamon stick

2 small red chillies, chopped finely

2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper



Method:

Place the plums (still with skin and seeds) into a large, wide-bottomed pan

Add the vinegar and water

Bring to a boil and simmer rapidly for 10 minutes

Cool for a few minutes

Press the mixture firmly with a wooden spoon through a fine sieve into a bowl or Pyrex jug

Discard the seeds and skins

Place the plummy liquid back into the pan

Now stir the sugar and all the spices into the pan

Simmer for 20-25 minutes till it thickens

Remember to take out the cinnamon stick and the 3 cloves!

Cool for a few minutes then pour into 2 small jars which have been washed in hot, soapy water then baked in a 130C oven for 20 minutes

This sauce can be used straightaway though it will taste even better in a couple of weeks

Serve as a dipping sauce with spring rolls, or anywhere you would want a spicy relish or sauce


Tips:

Make sure the jars are still hot when you pour in the sauce

Test the readiness of the sauce by putting a saucer into the freezer, leaving for 10 minutes, then spooning on a blob of the mixture - if you can run a spoon through it and it stays separated, you know it is done!

You will need a jar or bottle or 2 - enough to hold about 350 mls.

ingredients gathered  

plums, vinegar and water into the pot ready for simmering  

squishing the cooked pulpy mix thru a sieve into a 1 litre Pyrex jug  

this is what you are left with after lots of squishing down  :=)   (throw it away) 

the strained liquid goes in the pan with all the sugar and spices for 20-25 mins. simmering  

all done - 2 small jars of tangy sauce for your delectation   

ready for eating in a couple of weeks or now if you can't wait :=)  

Over Christmas, I had been reading the lovely book A Table in the Orchard by Tassie blogger Michelle Crawford.  She has a recipe for hawthorn berry sauce, but sadly haw berries are not to be found in my patch of Queensland.  I also came across a similar recipe from Karon of the blog Larder Love who suggests using plums instead. Both these ladies mention that the original recipe came from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - you know the curly-mopped, bespectacled, whole food, organic fella.  Haw berries nil, plums the go for my hybrid, spicy version of this sauce.  Mr P. couldn't wait and had some on his Chinese leftovers. He said it was great!

my vinegar foodle