Food, Finds and Forays
Hey there....
How’s your week going? As this is winging it’s way to you I have my hand, and by default the rest of me, on an operating table having a pesky ganglion removed from my ring finger. The little monster is growing and taking on an identity of it’s own so it’s time for us to part ways. I’m keeping my toes crossed, clearly fingers are a little busy right now.
This week just gone, I enjoyed a lovely jaunt to the country to gather with my cookbook club buddies (I spoke about them ). They’re always lovely affairs but this week was particularly so and one definitely worth sharing along with a few cheeky Ottolenghi recipes for you to try.
On the subject of tasty vegetables, because let’s face it Ottolenghi is all about veg, I’m sharing one of my favourite sides that often ends up being a main for lunches the next day. It’s a yummy dish that can be built on or left on it’s own to shine. It's is easy and fragrant and perfumes the kitchen with a piquant aroma drawing the family in search of it’s source.
With my right paw out of action for the coming days I’ll take a little break from our correspondence next week. Apparently I’m not allowed to drive for the next ten days so I suspect, cooking, writing and shooting photographs may prove equally challenging. It’s like lock down all over again.
Annnyway friends, hope you enjoy today's read, stay well and find some sunshine in your lives.
S xx
Food
I’m fascinated by all the different, yet often, interchangeable terms in cooking. I’m also compelled, when writing, to honour Mrs Alexander’s pedantry words to always use synonyms in our writing to add colour and movement to the language. She was my Year 11 and 12 English teacher and perhaps the one teacher who’s words and lessons I remember most. She had a way of loving, nurturing and inspiring her students all at once and they returned that love and ardour tenfold, many of her greatest yet at the time seemingly small lessons still impacting me today.
So it is with naming this dish. It reminds me of the zucchini dish of a few weeks ago, cooked low and slow, with few ingredients gently coaxing the natural flavours out like a rose emerging in spring releasing it’s sweet heady fragrance in morning sunshine. Not quite a braise, favouring low temperatures without caramelising nor a stew, the brightly coloured globes bathed in glistening flavoursome olive oil rather than a salty stock. It’s most definitely a confit, though not with the rich gamey flavour of duck that first comes to mind when you think of confit. It seems this method of gently enveloping the ingredients in warmed oil and letting the dish murmur on the stove for a while, rather than sizzle, extends beyond that which it’s more recently become famous for.
As it’s listed below, confit of capsicum will be a nice side for 4-6 alongside some other sides or 2-3 as a main with some protein padding. I like to serve it atop a grilled chicken breast with rice pilaf though I ate some of this with some canned chickpeas for a quick lunch. Topped with a poached egg next to some grilled sourdough for breakfast or an easy end of the week dinner on the couch goes well too.
Ingredients:
¼ C Extra virgin olive oil
3 Eschalots peeled and sliced
3 Garlic cloves peeled and squashed lightly
1 heaped tsp washed salted capers
1 Tbs tomato paste
3 Capsicums various colours, deseeded and chopped in large dice, roughly 2cm square’ish
1 long red chilli pierced with a fork a few times
1 small zucchini finely diced
1 tsp raw or white sugar
1 Tb White balsamic or white wine vinegar
*Basil shreds or whole fresh oregano leaves to serve
Method:
On a low heat in a medium sized shallow pan gently warm the olive oil. Add the eschalots and stir constantly for a minute or two while they settle in to prevent browning. They’ll quieten down to a gentle hum and can sit gently like that needing a stir only every few minutes. Cook like this for five minutes then add garlic and capers to the pan. Stir to coat in the oil and allow to lightly cook for another five minutes. Pop the tomato paste in the pan and stir to combine, it won’t amalgamate completely but don’t worry it will sort itself out later. After a couple minutes stirring, tumble in the remaining ingredients mixing everything thoroughly. Cover with a lid, preferably glass so you can keep your eye on it, and gently simmer on a very low heat (I like to use a jet smaller than the pan) for 40 minutes stirring occasionally. Season with salt flakes to taste and sprinkle with shredded basil or whole oregano leaves to serve.
Finds & Forays
I ran away on the weekend. Not in the literal sense of the word, much to the relief of my family….hopefully, but for the day, away from the burbs and towards the open plains up the highway. I left the Melbourne sprawl behind in my rear vision mirror and headed to the country home of one of my Cookbook Club mates for our monthly gathering. Normally we gather of a weeknight evening offerings in hand moving around greater Melbourne, but a few of us are further afield for the evenings and so we change it up and enjoy a Sunday lunch, one of my favourite types of gatherings.
Heading up the highway towards Victoria’s Goldfields region the outer suburban sprawl thinned out gradually until sun parched golden hills and farmland lined the road. I felt my shoulders unwind and my body settle into the drive, podcast playing, sun warming my hands on the steering wheel. I let the nav system guide me making the drive all the more beautiful. It was like I’d dialled in ‘prettiest route’ or maybe it’s just that gorgeous time of year where autumnal leaves fall in the breeze on quiet country roads like a golden flurry. By the time I pulled into the long drive way of my friend's lovely patch my tummy was rumbling and I was excited to feast on platters of food chosen from Ottolenghi’s newest book. I often lean more towards a dessert in my choice, on this occasion cooking these. A hearty handful, I’ll make them regularly going forward. They’re a solid snack and will be great for the boys to take to work.
Amongst other amazing contributions I particularly loved this rice dish which looked gorgeous on the buffet as well as being delicious. This chickpea number was also a huge hit and also one I think the family will enjoy, I’ll make it soon and report back. This one was a surprise and a definite winner. I’m thinking picnic or weekend lunch, maybe even in individual serves made in a large muffin tray.
After a few hours of fresh country air, lots of laughter and with a full belly it was time to head back. My hostess loaded me up with fresh produce from her vegie garden and orchard and with a sigh I found my way back to that highway, my foot not quite so hastily heavy on the accelerator.
