esmerelda in residence

Recipes & what happens when you don't use the correct measuring cup.

I like to think I am a fairly good cook. I like to bake, I love making soup (which is why my I like winter so much). I find it incredibly easy to roast a chicken or a nice hunk of pork/beef/lamb and can't understand why some people find it difficult. Then again, Mr. M can't understand my problem with maths. I've had my share of disasters as well, but usually things turn out ok.

Intermission

One Day on Earth - Motion Picture Trailer from One Day On Earth on Vimeo.

 

New kid on the block

Following on from the story I alluded to here , but never fully explained and never will (due to legal constraints) I start a new job on Monday.

Warning

Should you have house guests, and one of the guests has a preference for soy milk (which you never, ever buy), make sure you throw it away when they head off to the airport.

Intermission

 

Not my Grandmother's Pumpkin Soup

They are big on pumpkin here in Oz. Coming from the US, the only pumpkins I was used to seeing were the typical ones used for jack-o-lanterns and the occasional butternut for a winter treat (cut in half, seeds scooped out and the hollow filled with butter and brown sugar, then roast until all caramel-ly), and of course pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving (but you either bought a pie, or made your own using tinned pumpkin).  That was my total pumpkin experience prior to moving here. But Oz could also be marketed as the "land o' pumpkin". You get it everywhere, and all different varieties, like the kent (which is also known as the queensland blue or jap). They serve pumpkin roasted as a side vegetable,  in pasta,  in saladand in soups.

I meet a famous person and embarrass the Mr

 
The day started to pan out like any other Saturday - I had already spent too much time on the computer lusting after things on etsy when the Mr came into the study and announced "I feel like doing something". One of the things on my "I want" list was to go here and here, so I said "I'd like to go to the Donna Hay store" and 45 minutes later we were on our way.

We found a parking spot one block from where we wanted to go (thanks Frank) and were soon walking to the store. It was one of those days that makes me glad I live in Sydney in winter - partly sunny, no wind and just nice.

We arrived at the store and l lusted after Donna's new line of royal dalton dishes (I'll start saving my $$). I picked up a few things and we started to head upstairs; I decided to put my stuff by the register so I could get more stuff & there was a woman by the register. She looked up at me and smiled & said "how are you"? I said great, how are you? and started to walk upstairs.  Then it struck me...it was her! Donna Hay in person! After a furious whispering on the staircase (Me: it's HER! you HAVE to take our picture! - the Mr: "You're not serious are you?" )I embarrassed the Mr by making him take a photo of us together, Ms Hay was very gracious and let him do it. I still can't believe I got so excited about her being in the store. I usually am so blase about things, especially after working in casinos for so many years.

I have always been a fan, and now...well, I won't say anything more because I will embarrass the Mr again and I'm just babbling.  But she's good value, Donna is.

We also managed to pick up a nice roast at Victor Churchill and a nice bit of cheese for the Mr. Dinner tomorrow will be very speccy. But tonight I am just going to feast my eyes on the goodies I bought and make a wish list for more.

 

Throwing in the towel

After three days of lentils fixed in a variety of ways, the non-vegetarians in the family (mainly ME, the chief cook and bottle washer) are throwing in the towel on the great experiment and are clamoring for meat for dinner. A nice juicy lamb roast marinated for hours in garlic and olive oil, then crusted with herbs and spices and thrown on the rotissierie?  Crispy skinned roast chicken, flavoured with rosemary and thyme with slices of lemon and garlic tucked under the skin? Perhaps one of Christian's most excellent pork chops? I don't know what the choice will be, but there will be meat on the table tonight by god. The vegetarians will have to make do with the sides or maybe some of the leftover Lentil & Swiss Chard soup I made yesterday.  While I decide background music is being provided by the Mr & the Boy jamming on the double bass (the Mr) and the ukelele (the Boy), which makes me a happy camperette.

A note about the recipe - I found the original recipe  to be a bit bland. I've adapted to suit my taste (my recipe below) and changed the quantity, but whatever you do, don't forget the squeeze of fresh lemon juice prior to serving. You'd be surprised at how much it lifts the flavour. I left it out the first time I made this, which may account for the blandness.

Lentil & Swiss Chard (Silver beet for my AU audience) Soup adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe (serves 6, with leftovers)

3 medum onions, chopped

extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons tomatoe paste

8 - 10 sprigs fresh thyme

small handfull dried oregano

about a tablespoon dried thyme

2 large (800 g) tins chopped tomatoes

6 - 8 tins water (use the chopped tomatoe tin as a measure)

375 g green lentils

2 packets jellied vegetable stock *

2 smallish bunches swiss chard, chopped (including white bits)

4 green zuchini, chopped

rind from parmesan cheese

fresh grated parmesan

fresh lemon

In a large stockpot, pour in 3-4 good glugs of EVOO. Saute onions until clear over medium heat. If you burn the onions, you may as well toss them out and start over. Add tomatoe paste, saute for a few minutes until it starts to turn a darker red. Add fresh thyme, dried thyme and oregano. Saute until fragrant. Add tomatoes, water, vegetable stock packets and bring to soft boil. Add lentils. Bring to soft boil again, then simmer for about 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally to prevent lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pot. At this point, salt to taste.

Add chopped zuchini and white part of swiss chard, simmer for another 20 - 30 minutes until chard is almost tender. Throw in hunks of parmesan rind. Add the rest of the swiss chard which has been coarsely chopped. Taste again to test for seasoning,. Simmer until chard is tender. Ladle into bowls, top with a squeeze of fresh lemon & freshly grated parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.

The carnivores in the family discussed what you could add to this to make it even tastier, such as some nice italian sausage, but we all enjoyed it, even without meat.  The beauty of this soup is that you can ad lib at will, adding whatever leftover bits of veg you happen to have in the fridge at the moment. You could even used tinned lentils to reduce cooking time.

* I tried a new product as I haven't been happy with the prepackaged stock that comes in cartons. Realistically, one doesn't always have time to make fresh stock.  I was quite happy with the result.

 

 

This Week's Experiment

Z. is visiting from "up north" with his girlfriend M. Young A arrives today. Z is now a vegetarian. M goes along for the ride.  Young A has yet to be heard from, however I am thinking he will be craving a nice bit of roast lamb, or maybe one of the best pork chops in the world.

However.

I have two house-guests that don't eat meat/poultry/fish. This certainly limits menu options. The Mr & I have re-embarked on our low GI diet, which includes lots of lentils/legumes etc, so we are not diametrically opposed to a vegetarian meal, but, just like anything else, if you are not used to cooking this way you have to sit down and PLAN your meals. Planning meals is so very much like WORK, which I am avoiding at the moment.

I already have a few vegetarian meals in my dinner repertoire, so the menu planning was not going to be a wracking of the brain, pulling my hair out type of experience. I have traveled far in my experience as a cook; I still shudder to think of the wretched meal I prepared for a friend (who informed me 30 minutes before he showed up for dinner that he was a vegetarian) back in my pre-internet "google is a life saver" days. I digress.

 I sat down at the kitchen breakfast bar and pulled this little rabbitout of my hat. If you own an ipad and are a cook, then you NEED this app.  If you only ever buy one app, this should be the app you buy. Trust me.

A search for vegetarian meals produced hundreds of choices.  For the next week we will have:

1. Roast veg pasta
2. Lentil & Swiss Chard (silver-beet) Soup
3. Vegetable Curry
4. Pizza
5. Lentil Burgers (the jury is still out on this one. Z . assures me they are delish, I'll let you know).
6. Roast Carrot pasta (different from the above roast veg pasta, which was tomato based).
7. Veg lasagna.

Good thing it's winter and I can get away with a lot of pasta dishes.  Z. & M. are to cook one meal, & I am going to have to make a roast dinner one night, so I assume they will be eating eggs.

For those of you who are wondering about the costs of going vegetarian, the Mr. spent $270 at the grocery store last night.  You may draw your own conclusion.

To my old friend Michael Winter - should our paths ever cross again, I promise I will not inflict a horrid meal like the one previously served to you.