♪ it's pie time, kia ora talofa, it's pie time, a special time of day ♪

You know that feeling when you have a hankering for something, and until you have it no other food will suffice?  Friday morning, sitting at the computer, when I'm struck by a gastronomic lightning bolt from the sky, telling me that it's chicken pie or bust. 

I'd never bothered to make a chicken pie before.  Mince, yep.  Shepherd's (which, let's be honest, it's really just mince), yep.  Bacon and egg, oh yes.  But chicken?  Never.  Which is weird, 'cause chicken pie is always my pick if we're getting pies from the bakery on weekends.  Not having a clue what was required, but knowing what kind of consistency I wanted the filling to have, was helpful.  Just sort of tinkered with it, letting it bubble away, until it seemed right.  And, luck of the irish, it was bang on.  This one will be making an appearance on our table again soon! 

3 sheets flaky puff pastry (I bought pre-rolled, gold)

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 rashers bacon, chopped up

1 onion, diced

couple handfuls mushrooms, chopped into smallish chunks

1 red chilli, seeds removed and chopped

cumin seeds, or other herb/spice as preferred

1 cup white wine (I used more like 2)

200 ml cream

flour, as needed to thicken (I used approx. 5 tbsp)

1 egg, to brush pastry

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees (200 if not fan bake) and spray pie dish with a little oil.
2. Brown chicken and bacon in pan.  Remove when cooked and set aside.
3. Saute onion, 'shrooms, chilli and herbs/spices until onion becomes translucent.  Pour in wine and allow to simmer until liquid is reduced. 
4. Pour in cream, stir and allow to heat through before adding flour, and stirring and allowing to thicken.  You may need a little more flour, or less, add bit by bit and see how you go.
5. Arrange pastry in dish so that dish is covered and excess lays over the sides (this will become the pie's top).  Pour filling in and cover with pastry.  If you've some excess you could make something to decorate the top.  Cheesy, but quite satisfying, I assure you.  
6. Brush with egg and bake for about half an hour.   

raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens...

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.  Yep, they were a few of Maria von Trapp's favourite things.  I was reminded of that song the other day, having made a swag of mini pikelets, served with jam and cream.  Pikelets with jam and cream - it had been so long since I'd had that, I had almost forgotten just how soothing it is to eat something so simple, that hasn't changed one iota since we were kids.  Edmonds pikelet recipe.  Berry jam.  Cream.  Sorted. 

We were headed to the 1st Birthday party of friends' daughter, and naturally were taking a plate of nibbles.  I decided mini pikelets would be quick, easy-to-transport and, very likely, equally popular with adults and kids alike.  I mean, who doesn't like pikelets?  So, bring back the humble pikelet - full-sizded, or mini - and enjoy the simplicity.  Happy Birthday, Ara. 

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk

1. I think the recipe book says to beat the egg and sugar separately, then add with milk to dry ingredients.  I didn't bother, largely 'cause I wasn't reading the recipe very carefully.  So all ingredients got whacked in together, and I didn't have any problems.  So there you go - bung it all in and mix. 
2. Heat pan, sprayed with a little cooking spray (if pan not non-stick enough).  Cook until bubbles form, turn, cook other side and remove. 
3. Serve warm, or allow to cool on wire racks before piling with toppings. 

NB: Whilst about half of the pikelets were spread with a little butter, jam and a dollop of cream, I also did some with butter and 100s & 1000s (FAIRY BREAD!!), and some with cream cheese and jam, something a little more sophisticated for the discerning palate ;)

bananarama

Ness, my sister-in-law, posted a link to this recipe - banana choc chip muffins.  You can't go wrong - fruit and chocolate all wrapped up in a neat little muffiny package.  Perfect timing too, thanks Ness, 'cause we had some bananas that were in serious need of use.  I doubled the mixture, figuring to take some to a friend's house this evening, and the rest for the weekend.  If they last that long... 

So, thanks to Ness and to Chelsea sugar, we have lift-off! 

2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (duh, as if you'd leave the skins on)
2 eggs

1/4 cup oil (I used rice bran)

1 cup milk
3/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips (or a little more...)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray muffin tray with non stick spray.
2. Beat eggs, bananas, oil, milk and brown  sugar together – just lightly. Mix in flour, baking powder and chocolate chips. Don’t over mix – ingredients should be just gently stirred together to combine.
3. Spoon into prepared tins and bake for 15 – 18 minutes, until puffed and golden brown and inserted skewer comes out clean.
4. Cool for 2 minutes in tins, then gently twist and ease onto wire rack

NB: Above ingredients is for one batch.  Ness brushed hers with a little maple syrup before cooking, for an extra glaze. 

 

home James, and don't spare the horseradish!

I was fossicking in the pantry the other day, looking for a particular biscuit recipe, and got sidetracked by the recipe books that lurk in the back.  We've got a fair few recipe books, most of them lovely glossy things which really deserve to be on display but who, in reality, are left to skulk about at the back with those bits of couscous and polenta that inevitably escape their boxes.  On impulse I pulled a couple out which I'd not seen before and discovered one of the golden oldie greats of cookery - an Australian Women's Weekly compendium.  We've since surmised that it must have been given to KB, 'cause he didn't recognise it either, but having flicked through it we both had to admit that, whilst not as cool perhaps as some of the current TV celeb chefs, the Aussie WW knows its stuff when it comes to straight-forward, pleasing to the eye, non-tricky good food. 

There was one dish in particular that caught the eye as one to throw together before the book got put away again (as, sad to say, it now has, until next time I'm looking for inspiration or a biscuit recipe).  Creamy horseradish chicken with garlic sauteed spinach.  Sounds good, right?  It was!  And as we were getting this ready, KB decided some roasted pumpkin, beetroot and spinach couscous (based on a recipe found later in the same book) was in order, as a side.  So, without further ado, dinner... 

For the chicken

4 thin chicken breasts (or cut two fatties in half)

1 tbsp oil

1 spring onion, sliced thin

dash white wine

160 ml cream

2 tbsp prepared horseradish

good squeeze lemon juice

1/2 tsp dijon or wholegrain mustard

finely chopped dill

20 g butter

2 cloves crushed garlic

spinach, coarsely chopped, for 4

1. Heat hald oil in pan and cook chicken until cooked through.  Remove from pan.
2. Heat remaining oil in same pan.  Cook onion until soft.  Add wine and cream, bring to the boil, then simmer for a couple of minutes.  Add horseradish, lemon, mustard and dill and stir through.  Return chicken to pan and remove from heat. 
3. Melt butter in second frying pan, add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add spinach, cook over low heat until wilted (about 2 minutes). 
4. Serve chicken on spinach, drizzled with horseradish sauce, alongside couscous. 

NB: We didn't have any white wine in the house, so left that out. 

For couscous

500 g piece pumpkin, chopped coarsely

1 tbsp oil

4 beetroot, peeled and chopped

1 tsp chicken stock

2 cups boiling water

2 cups couscous

150 g trimmed spinach, shredded coarsely

handful cashews, or other nut

equal parts lemon juice and olive oil

1 tsp honey

ground cumin and cayenne pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 22o degrees celcius and roast pumpkin and beetroot with a little oil for about 30 minutes (turn halfway through).
2. Place couscous in bowl.  Stir through stock powder.  Pour boiling water over, until level of water just a little higher than couscous.  Stir, cover with plate or lid, and leave for 5 minutes or so.  Once cooked, fluff (stir through a little butter, if you like), stir through spinach and set aside.  
3. Combine dressing ingredients (this really is to taste, so sorry for the lack of firm guidance). 
4. Combine roasted ingredients with couscous in serving bowl.  Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with nuts. 

Fahrenheit capers

There's a local restaurant in town, Fahrenheit, who do a tapas menu.  Tasty tasty plates of food, designed for sharing, but equally perfect as an appetiser or light lunch.  I'm usually lured in by the calamari, or breads and dips, before my eyes even get a chance to peruse the rest of the menu, but recently when there a word caught my eye...dill. 

I love dill.  It's quite a strong-flavoured herb, so needs to be used sparingly when coupled with more delicate flavours, but adds depth to dishes with its hint of aniseed.  KB and I recently used some dill in a horseradish and cream sauce (recipe to come, watch this space), but it's the super-simple, super-satisfying tapas that I'm waxing lyrical about at the moment. 

Basically, it was salmon bruschetta, with a creme fraiche base, rather than salsa.  Awesome.  And how did they stop the salmon-creme fraiche combo being too rich - dill and capers baby!  A winning combo, if ever I saw one.  I mean - you could use that for so much - creme fraiche, dill and caper as a sauce for pasta, as a base on pizza, a dollop on top of a steak... But, if you're wanting something nice and easy, but really really smart and tasty for the next time you're doing nibbles, try this...

loaf ciabatta (or sourdough, turkish etc)
olive oil
smoked salmon, sliced thinly
creme fraiche
capers
fresh dill

1. Slice bread quite thinly and brush with oil.  Grill to lightly toast.  I would cut the pieces to bite size. 
2. Mix capers into creme fraiche (I like quite a few, but that's to taste).  You could chop up and stir some dill through here too, if you want a stronger dill flavour. 
3. Lay strips of salmon on crostini (the fancy name for your wee toasts).  Add a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of dill.  Voila, c'est tout. 

NB: the photo obviously doesn't match - spoons in place of bread - but I'm sure you can fill in the gaps. 

Happy Birthday, Mr President...

It's our dog's 1st birthday today, so I made him a cake.  I realise that might sound crazy, and I could try and convince you I did it purely for Harry's benefit (7 years old, so you know, doing it for the kids), but I don't think anyone would buy that.  But hey, why not - it's his birthday, so oughtn't he have a cake?  So, if you've a pet and want to raise the eyebrows of those around you (make sure they don't have men in white coats on speed dial), here's a way to wish 'em Happy Birthday! 

1/2 dog roll (I'm sure it'd be fine for cats too)
strips of rawhide
rawhide stick
dog chocolates
peanut butter

1. Cut the dogroll in half, then halve that again.  Place the flat-top and -bottom piece on a plate. 
2. Spread some peanut butter on the rawhide straps (broken into pieces no higher than the bottom half of the cake) and stick onto piece of dog roll on plate.  They don't stick that well, but will stay put long enough for you to finish cake.  The peanut butter is good for dog's coat, but better check if making for a feline. 
3. Place some globs of peanut butter on flat-top of dog roll, just for that extra goodness!
4. Place rounded half of dog roll on top of peanut butter.  Put candle (rawhide stick) into top.  Press dog chocs into top half of cake - they have a tendancy to pop out, so press 'em in hard, and don't worry about covering the whole thing. 
5. Voila - joyeux anniversaire chien! 

Never-fail fruit cake

Being informed that the recipe you are being given is 'never fail' is rather daunting. But it also serves to awaken the fighter within - the scent of a challenge...

Penny, KB's aunt, gave me this a couple of weekends ago. It's apparantly foolproof. I don't know if it's 100% foolproof, but it's certainly not hard. My cake didn't turn out exactly as Penny's did (combination of addin ginger to the original recipe and forgetting to cover with foil for good 30 minutes!), but I think it came out pretty damn well. Not a failure, that's for sure.

3 eggs
400g mixed fruit
100g crystalised ginger, chopped
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
dash almond essence

1. Boil fruit, drain.
2. Whip eggs.
3. Place fruit and ginger in large mixing bowl, add eggs and sugar and beat.
4. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
5. Pour into greased 20cm springform tin, cover with foil and bake at 180 degrees for an hour or so.

NB: Penny cooks her cake for about an hour and ten minutes. Mine took a good hour and a half. Just keep checking it, if going over an hour.