The Random Lunch Challenge- corn again

Posted on by July 29, 2012
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An early morning with breakfast at the market changed the whole approach to The RLC today.
Why?
Well, two “eyes bigger than their stomach” boys bought a most novel breakfast that left them stonkered–an English pork pie each!
Tasty and oh so filling, they could not get their minds around The Random Lunch Challenge, so I took the reins.
To my relief, I quickly discovered some fresh sweet corn on the cob that was more in our budget than a few RLC’s ago, so I revisited the idea of grilled bacon wrapped corn. My mind quickly went Tex-Mex. Coriander, lime and chilli were shouting out to be used in some way with the corn.
All set to BBQ the bacon wrapped corn cobs, but, “quelle horreur”, the BBQ was feral!
Plan B–grill corn on oiled iron grill pan. This was going very slowly, so I added a bit of water and covered it. The explosions that ensued were quite dramatic!
Whilst the corn grilled, I softened about 1/2 cup unsalted butter and mixed through  1 tsp crushed chilli, heaps of lime juice (about 1 good sized lime) and about 1/2 cup chopped coriander.
With the corn and bacon finally ready, I slathered the flavoured butter over, with the end result of the most finger lickingly dressed bursts of yellow sweetness:
Tasty, satisfying at about $6 for 4.

A little addendum to this story:
There is a bit of family competition that goes on about who can leave the corn cob the neatest and cleanest.
Do I need to spell out that Quality Controller (aka husband editor) wins hands down?
Now, that feral BBQ…..maybe he could clean that, too? 😉

The BLAC – Random Lunch Challenge

Posted on by July 27, 2012
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My previous post  “from silly to serving..” explained why last week’s RLC has been served later than normal, but boys went to the effort, so I am honouring:–

The BLAC

The availability of cheap bread and cheese had to be taken advantage of, so with a twist, boys developed The BLAC
Bacon
Lettuce
Avocado                                                        
Cheese- Bulgarian sheep’s milk at that
on individual Turkish rolls.
The result was tasty, filling classic with a twist. (I would have added tomato but I wasn’t around to offer gentle guidance/be bossy).

From silly to serving…..all good

Posted on by July 27, 2012
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Several things have happened in the last week foodie wise ranging from silly to serving…

I will start with silly and hope it does not alienate me from the general populace…

My boys are becoming teenagers soon, and being the quirky characters they are, wanted to make a cake in the form and representation of a pimple.
Yes, a pimple.
OK.
So, obliging mother (and somewhat perversely excited about this challenge) got to thinking about process.
Instead of using water for making an ice bowl, I poured in strawberry jelly to make a thin outer red dome shaped layer. Into this was poured cooled thick but not solid, vanilla custard.

You’re getting it, aren’t you?                                              

We ended up freezing the pimple pudding as the jelly was not firm enough and collapsed at one place.
It came out with pretty much the desired appearance, and on letting thaw a bit, the desired oozy effect.

Next foodie thing:

Last weeks Random Lunch Challenge has not been served to date, as my lunch time onwards that day was spent with 9 other ladies from the church community cooking together for those in need of a meal. The aim was to start stocking the church freezer with different portion sized meals to be able to give to those in need.

With all the food hygiene and handling and storage practice information delivered, three teams set to work on three different recipes according to cooking equipment available–Stove top, oven, and electric frypans from home (Oh to have a better equipped church kitchen.)
One team cooked the makings of  lasagna and assembled 7 ready to bake lasagnas in foil trays. The smells that wafted through the building got your salivary glands going!
Another team cooked  chicken and leek filling and apples to make about 36 individual pies with 2 pie cookers. I was actually suprised how well they turned out.
My team made chicken cacciatore bake in the oven style, which apart from a little preparation, looked after itself. As a result of a simple recipe, I was able to cook the ladies some scones- ,tender and warm from the oven, with lashings of raspberry or strawberry jam with cream. Served in the sunny courtyard with a glass of pink bubbly and coffee/tea.

It was a fun and relationship building way of making about 15 family-sized meals to care for those in need.

Next foodie thing involved the provision of dessert for 30 or so at a luncheon hosted by the local school’s Religious Education teachers for the school teachers and office staff.

Chocolate tarts came to mind for my contribution, but  for logistical reasons, this did not eventuate. My sticky date pudding came to the rescue again, and this time I made individual serves so they could be reheated as needed for the style of luncheon it was. Another crowd pleaser.

Other dishes on offer were a minestrone soup; savoury muffins; a Thai noodle dish; pesto, tomato sandwiches; smoked salmon and spinach sandwiches. Oh, and the simplest of ideas I did (which I will share): thinly sliced pineapple sprinkled with a mixture of caster sugar and lime zest. I was pleasantly surprised at people’s responses and asking how I did this.

Simple.
Good.
Team work to serve others.
Good.
Sharing a meal.
Good.
(Having a bit of silly fun…
Good)

The second segment: Lemons-savoury

Posted on by July 17, 2012
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I seemed to have started my lemon appeal with the sweet lemony treats (see  the a’peel of lemons post), so now a few of the more savoury of the spectrum:

I have to start with the all time favourite staple in our house, discovered about 6 or so years ago when I wandered into the world of Moroccan food- the preserved lemon.
We aim to have a couple of jars accessible all year round, and now is the perfect time where we are able to whip up a few jars. I say whip up because they are as simple as, and to tell you the truth, I somewhat resent paying up to $14 for a commercially produced jar.

Preserved Lemons:

Ing:
Sterilized glass jars and lids.
Clean, thick skinned lemons
Sea or rock Salt
Lemon juice

Method:
Cut each lemon into quarters. Layer lemon quarters interspersed with 1 tbs salt for each lemon in jar. Top lemon/salt layers with lemon juice. Seal and leave for 6 weeks in a cool dark place before using. A soft, mellow lemon flavour develops which is integral to Moroccan cuisine. The skin only is used in most recipes (although I have come across some that use inside flesh as well.)

How I have used Preserved Lemons:(skin)
*Sold hundreds of jars over the years at my children’s school fete;
*Finely diced mixed through smoked trout pate/dip;
*Chicken, olive and preserved lemon tagine;
*Stirred into Lamb tagine;
*My son’s roast chicken with lemon juice and preserved lemons baked on a bed of sliced potato scattered with preserved lemon;
*In cous cous salad with diced caramalized pumpkin, pinenuts, corriander etc;
*Finely chopped and served on grilled fish or mixed in a good aioli/mayonnaise;
*In a lemon and saffron rissoto to serve with a rich tagine/casserole;

One of the most delicious and easy dishes I do for group morning/afternoon teas or as part of a luncheon is –
Warm feta cheese with lemon infused olive oil*:
Place 250g slice of feta on a microwave proof plate. Cover and heat on high for about 45 secs. The feta should be warm all the way through and may have exuded liquid. This can be drained off.
Generously drizzle warm feta with olive oil infused with lemon zest.
Serve with water crackers or pita bread.

*Lemon olive oil can be found commercially. For this recipe I use lemon or plain extra virgin olive oil with a teaspoon of zest mixed through 1/2 cup of oil.

A few more juicy bits:
Lemon juice, slightly browned butter and toasted flaked almonds is great tossed through crisp steamed green beans, or grilled asparagus.
Lemons can be zested and juiced and zest frozen in snap lock bags; juice frozen in ice cube trays or little sauce tubs.

Lemons are the fruit that just keep on giving……

The Two Feasts- a biblical juxtaposition

Posted on by July 17, 2012
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Homily 15-7-12    printed with permission of Rev. Mark Bailey
Mark 6:14-29
The Two Feasts
______________

Mark’s story of the execution of John the Baptist presents the first of two feasts. The events surrounding John’s death are presented in the Gospel tradition as having taken place connected to a birthday feast that Herod has thrown for himself. It is at this feast, with the who’s who of Jewish political and social life, that the prophetic voice of John is snuffed out – here the seductive nature of this banquet table of evil becomes paramount and the word of GOD crying out in the wilderness is brutally murdered by the powers of death and destruction.

Indeed a prophet of God is not without honor except among his own kind – this is the warning that is presented to us just prior to this event. A warning that was to put the mission of the 12 into a particular framework, a warning to ground them in understanding that in the breaking in of the coming Kingdom a cosmic struggle is set into motion, as Paul says,

Eph 6:12
For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Prior to tonight’s passage the 12 are sent out immediately after Jesus is rejected by his own kin. This Mission of the 12 in Mark’s Gospel clearly places the embryonic faith community within the continuing prophetic ministry of Christ – a ministry of preaching, exorcism and healing – a ministry that speaks the word of GOD, a word of forgiveness and restoration. This Word expressed through Christ, becomes the incarnation of the full and complete hospitality of GOD. A hospitality shown in the one who welcomes all back to the banquet table, not to inflict unimaginable evil and retribution, but to nourish and to restore to complete fullness – the renewal of full wholeness.

It is this banquet that the Prophet Isaiah looks to when he says,

Isaiah 25.6-8:
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death for ever.

A prophetic image where ‘all peoples’ will be fed – the great messianic banquet. A banquet of mercy and compassion – the supreme example of the hospitality of GOD, a hospitality where all humanity will find itself no longer victim to the power of death and destruction. In our own Eucharist Liturgy we hear the following words.

“Offered the loving feast of faith, we sat down at the banquet table of evil” –

Here we are reminded that it was always the intention of GOD to have all humanity gather at the great and loving feast of faith, but that through the seductiveness of the power of evil, humanity instead, that is we, chose a way of evil and self-destruction. However, GOD’s response was not to plot our annihilation and obliteration, but GOD’s response was and always has been to pursue and welcome us back to the banquet table of love and faith, to remind us of promises made and to set before us a new way of hope and salvation, the prophetic way.

The Banquet Table of Herod – the table of the rulers and powers of this world, the powers of violence and force, plots death and destruction and attempts to extinguish the Word of GOD, a prophetic Word that speaks of hope and salvation – but the truth of the gospel is that this table, with all its seductiveness, with all its prestige and privilege, can be and never will be life giving. It is only at the table of GOD, that humanity can find healing, renewal and life – a table where all gather as equals, a table of invitation and graciousness – where life and not death is in plain sight.

In the Gospel narrative, Mark moves on from the violence and abuse of Herod’s Table and the brutal death of John, to the gracious Feeding of the 5,000. Here we have the contrasting image of the GOD who feeds humanity, all those eager to hear and to respond, those who of there own free will have sought the life giving Words of the coming Kingdom of GOD. In the deserted place of Mark’s story of the Feeding of the 5,000, GOD himself will feed and nourish – not in the place of opulence and power, but in the barren and lonely place, will we be feed by GOD, in the unexpected places will we experience the one who comes to us as life. The stark contrast between the Banquet Table of Power and the Loving Feast of Faith, is mind blowing, and is represented to us in the simplicity of the Communion Meal – here at the place of stillness, the lonely, deserted place is GOD’s compassion made real and all are feed and nourished.

Mark compares and contrasts these two feasts, one which speaks of unimaginable brutality and violence and one which speaks of equally unimaginable love and hope. You can imagine Herod’s banquet filled with the cacophony of noise, the revelry of those seeking only their own pleasure, multiple voices all vying for attention, to the point that it becomes both captivating and illusory. Yet the deserted place of the Feeding of the Multitude is heightened by the place of stillness where the gathering finds it focus in and through the central element of the Word of GOD, Jesus the Christ – and it is in this encounter that all are nourished and all are feed for indeed the truth is that,

The Lord of hosts will make for all humanity a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear. And he will destroy the shroud that is cast over all creation, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death for ever.

AMEN.

Bounty of the month – the a’peel of lemons

Posted on by July 15, 2012
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Seriously–when The Seekers sang “lemon tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat” they were suffering a culinary deficit.

Lemons have got to be one of the most foundational of flavors and vital ingredients. The fresh, zesty acidity can lift a dish, add an extra dimension, or be the star of a culinary masterpiece.

I love lemon, although I qualify that by stating I love the Eureka or Lisbon varieties above the Meyer lemon, which I find to lack zestyness and zing.
Seasonally, lemons are at their most bountiful now.
Over the last few weeks we have made the most of the many lemons inherited or helped transform others’ excess.

One afternoon a few weeks ago, one industrious boy set to (his brother eventually joined him) and made several batches of lemon cordial, which they, typically for their age, labeled “Boys’ No.1’s”  Lemon Cordial!
Tangy refreshment!

“Boys’ No. 1’s” Lemon Cordial:
Ing:
5-6 large-ish lemons
1.5 kg white sugar
30g tartaric acid
60g citric acid
8 cups boiling water

Method:
Finely zest the rind off the lemons. Juice lemons.
Put all ingredients into a large stainless steel saucepan/bowl. Add boiling water, stirring to dissolve sugar.
Cool, then bottle and seal.
Serve with about 1/2 inch or so topped with water or mineral/soda water.

Our next major lemon venture was only a few days ago. Upon visiting daughter and s-i-l’s country home for a few days, I immediately spied an overflowing fruit bowl of (Meyer 🙁 ) lemons. Also discovered 36 uncollected chook eggs, which were duly gathered, washed and checked for freshness.

Lemons…eggs…
What else does one think of but a batch of Lemon Butter?
And being the hungry types, what about a nice lemony dessert?
Boom Boom.

Lemon Butter in the microwave: (Thank you to Aunty Hazel, one of my prime cooking influences, for this)
Ing:
8 oz white sugar
2 eggs
zest of 3 lemons
juice of 2 large lemons
4 oz fresh unsalted butter

Method:
Place sugar, butter, juice and zest in a glass microwave-proof jug.
Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Beat eggs in a separate bowl.
Beat eggs into juice mixture.
Cook in bursts of a minute, stirring between cooking, until thick. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Cool and store in fridge.
Spread on toast, scones, use in tarts, or as we did for our dessert, use in Stephanie Alexanders Lemon Roulade – pg 396 of “The Cooks Companion”.

The list of lemony delights is long, but pretty much the winner in our family is “A Good Lemon Tart”. At the restaurant where Quality Controller and I held our wedding reception, we said that Lemon Tart was mandatory as a dessert choice. The chef had the sense to agree. On our honeymoon in Paris, we were ever on the hunt for the perfect Lemon Tart. Fauchon nailed it.
Sad to say, many cafes now seem to use a lemon oil/essence instead of zest and juice and it just doesn’t get there! Sorry!

Be warned, making a good lemon tart can lead to marriage proposals.
The following recipe is based on the Stephanie Alexander Lemon Tart

“A Good Lemon Tart”:
Short crust Pastry for 24 cm loose bottomed flan tin.
Ing:
225 g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
130g cold unsalted butter
2 tbs icing sugar
2 tbs cold water.

Method:
Place flour, sugar, diced butter and salt into bowl of food processor. Process until mixture looks like bread crumbs. Add water and pulse on and off until mixture just comes together. Turn onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap and rest in fridge for 20 mins.
Line a greased flan tin with pastry then freeze for 20 mins.
Blind bake pastry 15 mins in 200°C preheated oven.
take out of oven, reduce heat to 160°C. Pour filling into shell and bake for 35 – 40 mins until just set. Cool in tin. Tart can then be served warm, but I prefer mine cold, with dollop cream.
Filling Ing:
6 eggs, lightly whisked
250g caster sugar
Zest and juice from 3 large lemons (about 250mls juice)
200ml thin cream
Method for filling:
Combine zest, juice, eggs and sugar well. Add cream and mix well. Pour into baked pastry case. Bake as above.

This has been only one segment of  the lemon bounty. There will be ‘seconds’….

Random Lunch Challenge- Bastille Day pâté “partay”

Posted on by July 14, 2012
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We have a tendency to be a bit Francophilic, and realizing it was Bastille Day, started thinking about iconic French foods that fit our slightly frugal requirements…
Hmmm- snails… (But we’d be too hungry)
Baguettes and cheese… done that!
Ratatouille… distinct possibility,
but
WHAT ABOUT PÂTE??
Throwing around flavour combination’s, boys decided on a thyme and balsamic vinegar infused pâté, served with caramelized onions and baguette.

So:
750 g chicken liver cleaned and sauteed in 95 g butter until just cooked through, with a clove of crushed garlic, a sliced and caramelized onion, a good pinch of salt flakes, a tsp ground pepper, and then pureed in food processor with 4 tbs Apple Balsamic Vinegar and 1 tbs red wine vinegar.
later,
we had an “ooh la la”  invented pâté that was very morish: spread on baguette* and topped with caramelized onion cooked with Apple Balsamic Vinegar.

The use of Apple Balsamic was a “necessity is the mother of invention” situation because out of the 7 types of vinegar in my pantry, plain balsamic could not be found! My bad for forgetting to put it on shopping list when the last bottle was used up.

It didn’t matter because the Apple Balsamic was a winner.
And as has been known to happen in this household, we obeyed the eleventh commandment and over catered. I am on church morning tea tomorrow. Guess what will appear?

*Now, a little gripe about what constitutes a real baguette. We have yet to discover a bready delight of the same texture and flavour as experienced in France under the name Baguette, but today’s version was at least crunchy on the crust. The soft and chewy, holey middle was not there, just white fluff.

I must finish and go and tend to the rabbit with prunes that is casseroling to tasty, rustic satisfaction in the oven.

Bon Apetit!

A few numbers, but important truths.

Posted on by July 15, 2012
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I have been thinking a bit more about a previous post thought on bible references to food and hospitality.
So here in a nutshell:
The word “food/foods” is mentioned 316 times in the Bible (counting references in my NIV Concordance);
Specific types of food mentioned 94 times;
Variations on the word “feast” used about 140 times;
Food and feasting (including the what and how) are pretty important in the scheme of things.

The word “hospitality”can be found explicitly mentioned in the Bible 5 times:
(Verses quoted from the NIV.)

Romans 12:13 “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
1 Peter 4:8-11  “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling…”
Acts 28:7 “There was an estate nearby that belonged to Pubilius, the chief official of the island.He welcomed us into his home and for three days entertained us hospitably.”
Romans 16:23 “Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.”
3 John :8 “We ought therefore to show hospitality so that we may work together for the truth.”

Of course one should read these verses in context, and it is interesting to note that most of these verses occur in passages that are to do with showing love for others and encouragement for those in the work of God’s kingdom.
In the big picture, references to the practice and idea of hospitality can be found throughout the Old Testament and New Testament.

Garlicky goodness and the lure of The Random Lunch Challenge

Posted on by July 7, 2012
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A beautiful but cold winter’s day must have made the thought of garlic butter with something warm spring to one boy’s mind.
Mmmmmmm garlic!

Happy to run with that vital meal base, on wandering the markets they discovered some Italian gnocchi. Smelling the dish already, they jumped at the chance to purchase (for $6) a kilo of these cute little potato dumplings to toss through a mound of garlicky, parsley laden melted butter. Other  boy embellished the meal plan with the suggestion of diced smoked speck through the sauce and went off to purchase parsley and enough speck with the $6.00 left.

Now, if you have clued on to our budget, you would be thinking that is beyond the $10 cap… Well, we had brother and niece (all the way from Adelaide) join us on their request to be part of the RLC, so $2 extra was allowed. Such is the allure of the surprise of RLC.

Whilst the gnocchi was boiling, about 125 g of unsalted butter was gently melted in a saucepan. 125g diced speck (half the amount actually purchased) was added and gently sauteed, and 2 crushed cloves of garlic stirred through and cooked for 30 or so secs. The washed and chopped bunch of parley was added off the heat.
The drained gnocchi was tossed through this garlicky, parsley butter sauce.
Brother and niece were very satisfied to have traveled so far for lunch* and I do believe I saw some finger wiping the bowl action going on from some people.

But wait, there’s more……….
To top off the experience, RLC guests provided some chocolate slices and Red Velvet cup cakes for afters.
And we had guests coming for afternoon tea!!!!!! That is another post in itself!

I am writing this after all guests have gone, all squeals of fun and all the eating and laughter and discussion around the table has dissipated, with tummy’s full and souls satisfied.
Dinner. That is so not needed tonight.

*They actually were in the state for other reasons really.

Can we make Pavlova?…as you wish.

Posted on by July 5, 2012
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For someone who lives in a country where pavlova is queen of desserts, I haven’t made it from scratch often. One of the first times I made a pav I forgot about it after leaving it to cool in the oven. The next day I noticed a trail of ants winding it’s way out of the oven to the window sill… I opened the oven and a sad, crumpled mess of a shell lay before me.
The chance and the challenge to try my hand yet again at pav from scratch came when a friend asked me if I could teach her how to make this divine crunch encrusted cloud of sweetness.
I had to come clean. I am no expert.

Finally the day of reckoning occurred and newly named Pavlova Princess came over for a pav bake off and the excuse to watch The Princess Bride.
The room temperature egg whites in a scrupulously clean and grease free bowl were beaten to glossy stiff peaked perfection (with all the other ingredients) by Pavlova Princess and then piled into a 2cm high disc shape on a baking paper lined tray. We shaped it this way to get a bit of height to the pav, and I’m glad we did as it sank a bit on cooling.
We prepared a second pav, using vanilla extract as well. This was shaped as a flatter round, just to experiment with outcome.

Cooked and almost cooled by the time Princess Bride had been enjoyed by all.
Now, I don’t know how all the pavlovas I see in photos have white crusts–mine have always come out a light caramel colour. Same for this time, 2 caramel crunchy crusted pillows… All in all, very happy with results thus far.

Pavlova Princess crowned the pavs with luscious Chantilly cream and jewels of 2 pavlovaspassionfruit, strawberries, kiwi fruit and Silvan berries (a type of blackberry).
The sterling result was eaten most gratefully by Pavlova Princess’s family and mine, after a meal shared together. (Yes, we ate nearly 2 pavlovas!)

The recipe I chose to use was Donna Hay’s Pavlova as below:
Ing:
4 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar
3 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white vinegar

Method:
Set oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks.
Gradually beat in sugar until mixture is glossy. Fold in corn flour. Fold in vinegar.
Pile onto 18cm round baking paper on baking tray.
Place in oven,reduce temp. to 120 degrees Celsius.
Cook  for 1 hour.
Cool in oven.

Top with whipped cream and what ever you want really.