Not much writing but still plenty of eating. Back in the film festival I made a meal I have been meaning to share. Did you see
Le Passe at the Film Festival? There was a scene where Ahmad made a stew for the family. The dish had some significance as a family tradition, and it looked delicious. It was a meat stew with a base of fresh herbs. I looked into it. It was
Ghormeh Sabzi, a traditional Persian herb stew. I used lamb and at the end added a handful of baby spinach to add a bit of bright green. we served it with traditional chelow. If you can get fresh fenugreek leaves, do, otherwise use dried at a pinch. By chance we had seen the movie at Petone and browsed the shops beforehand. I found a Middle Eastern supermarket and saw, for the first time in my life, fresh fenugreek but I didn't buy it because I didn't know I was going to need it. We had to go back for it the following week. This has replaced Gheimeh as my favourite Persian stew. And just in case you are thinking I'm a little crazy,
I am not the only one. If you didn't see the movie, do so.
I caught a glimpse of a Norwegian cooking show on the TV and investigated further. It turned out to be called New Scandinavian Cooking hosted by Andreas Viestad, who is quite a character in a very Norwegian way. The funniest thing is that he always cooks outside no matter the season. It can get quite cold in Norway. It snows. Picture Andreas grilling fish with snow drifting into the grill and onto the plates. They have a lot of very interesting ingredients especially fruit with lovely names like
cloudberries or lingonberries. A trip to the library uncovered Scandilicious by Signe Johansen and we were off. I haven't fully explored the berry fruit because it wasn't the season and I am sure we can't get cloudberries. Peter did make a
boiled egg with anchovy soldiers.
Our masterpiece was
Norwegian meatballs with mashed potatoes & swede (neeps & tatties in my world) and spiced lingonberry red cabbage (we had to settle for redcurrant jelly). It did sound a bit odd in the recipe and I was a little concerned but it was truly delicious. We did not have brown goat's cheese and to be perfectly honest I suspect it is a little unpleasant. For the cabbage, simmer a sliced onion, sliced apple, 1/2 a sliced red cabbage with 30 ml cider vinegar, a glass of red wine and 2 tbsp butter for an hour in a covered dish. Check occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick. When the cabbage and onion is very tender add 5 tbsp lingonberrey jam, (or cranberry sauce or redcurrant jelly), 2tbsp dark brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg and 5 cloves, and cook a further 30 mins. Add another splosh of red wine before serving.
Peter went away for a couple of weeks to the UK and then to Peru and I had the idea to make one of his favourites for a homecoming lunch. So I tackled the
pork pie. I just used home made chicken stock and gelatin leaves for the jelly because I didn't have time to be boiling pigs' trotters. I didn't have a pie dolly - not sure what one is - so I used a drinking glass. The Home Harvest woman at the market sells a
paper pot maker and I think that would do the trick. The result was that my first attempt was just like a bought one.
And finally Peter came home from Peru enthusing about ceviche. I found a Peruvian cookbook at the library and he made Martin Morales'
Don Ceviche. We will be exploring Peruvian cooking further.
Not much writing but still plenty of eating. Back in the film festival I made a meal I have been meaning to share. Did you see Le Passe at the Film Festival? There was a scene where Ahmad made a stew for the family. The dish had some significance as a family tradition, and it looked delicious. It was a meat stew with a base of fresh herbs. I looked into it. It was Ghormeh Sabzi, a traditional Persian herb stew. I used lamb and at the end added a handful of baby spinach to add a bit of bright green. we served it with traditional chelow. If you can get fresh fenugreek leaves, do, otherwise use dried at a pinch. By chance we had seen the movie at Petone and browsed the shops beforehand. I found a Middle Eastern supermarket and saw, for the first time in my life, fresh fenugreek but I didn't buy it because I didn't know I was going to need it. We had to go back for it the following week. This has replaced Gheimeh as my favourite Persian stew. And just in case you are thinking I'm a little crazy, I am not the only one. If you didn't see the movie, do so.
I caught a glimpse of a Norwegian cooking show on the TV and investigated further. It turned out to be called New Scandinavian Cooking hosted by Andreas Viestad, who is quite a character in a very Norwegian way. The funniest thing is that he always cooks outside no matter the season. It can get quite cold in Norway. It snows. Picture Andreas grilling fish with snow drifting into the grill and onto the plates. They have a lot of very interesting ingredients especially fruit with lovely names like cloudberries or lingonberries. A trip to the library uncovered Scandilicious by Signe Johansen and we were off. I haven't fully explored the berry fruit because it wasn't the season and I am sure we can't get cloudberries. Peter did make a boiled egg with anchovy soldiers.
Our masterpiece was Norwegian meatballs with mashed potatoes & swede (neeps & tatties in my world) and spiced lingonberry red cabbage (we had to settle for redcurrant jelly). It did sound a bit odd in the recipe and I was a little concerned but it was truly delicious. We did not have brown goat's cheese and to be perfectly honest I suspect it is a little unpleasant. For the cabbage, simmer a sliced onion, sliced apple, 1/2 a sliced red cabbage with 30 ml cider vinegar, a glass of red wine and 2 tbsp butter for an hour in a covered dish. Check occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick. When the cabbage and onion is very tender add 5 tbsp lingonberrey jam, (or cranberry sauce or redcurrant jelly), 2tbsp dark brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg and 5 cloves, and cook a further 30 mins. Add another splosh of red wine before serving.
Peter went away for a couple of weeks to the UK and then to Peru and I had the idea to make one of his favourites for a homecoming lunch. So I tackled the pork pie. I just used home made chicken stock and gelatin leaves for the jelly because I didn't have time to be boiling pigs' trotters. I didn't have a pie dolly - not sure what one is - so I used a drinking glass. The Home Harvest woman at the market sells a paper pot maker and I think that would do the trick. The result was that my first attempt was just like a bought one.
And finally Peter came home from Peru enthusing about ceviche. I found a Peruvian cookbook at the library and he made Martin Morales' Don Ceviche. We will be exploring Peruvian cooking further.
No comments:
Post a Comment