Loving Asparagus

I love, love, love all vegetables, the exceptions being swede, brussel sprouts and yams, but asparagus is one of my most favourite vegetables. I actually think it might be so special because you can only get it in that small window from late September until January or there abouts. When it is season we have it at least twice a week, sometimes more. If I am in a hurry I simply snap off the ends and steam it, but I also love it roasted, in salads and it also makes a great star in tarts or quiches.



I thought I would share two ways in which we had asparagus last week! The first (pictured above) was a delicious hot smoked salmon, cannellini bean and asparagus salad. It was quick and easy. I blanched the asparagus in boiling water and then cut each stem into three. I tossed the asparagus with two drained cans of cannellini beans, some chopped hazelnuts (toasted), halved cherry tomatoes, plenty of chopped parsley and flaked hot smoked salmon. I then drizzled the lot with a simple vinaigrette made with a crushed clove of garlic, lemon juice, good olive oil and salt and pepper. It was delicious!



The second meal is a very speedy version of frittata. Once again, I blanched my asparagus (I found some purple asparagus in the fruit and veg shop which I used for this), sprayed a ceramic dish (pyrex would be fine) with oil spray, placed the asparagus in the bottom, dotted over blue cheese, then pour over 6 eggs beaten with salt and pepper and about ½ c milk. Sprinkle over some grated parmesan and bake at 200c for about 20 minutes or until just set. This is a very quick Thursday night dinner with a bag of triple washed salad mix and some nice bread.

A trip to the markets

On Saturday we went to Matakana with some friends. I love going up there – the farmers market is just fantastic and the way they are re-creating the wee town is awesome! I love going to markets because you can talk to the people who grown and create the produce. I also like to find some different things – things you don’t normally find in the fruit and veggie shop.

Saturday was a gorgeous day weather wise and the market was busy. I got some fabulous things – beautiful strawberries (I ate nearly the whole punnet giving my husband only 2!!), freshly dug Maori potatoes, beautiful dill, rosemary and parsley, gorgeous vine tomatoes and some lovely mustard among other things. I also got some quail eggs – not sure what I am going to do with them yet!! I was also pleased to see that some of my favourite stall holders from the Takapuna markets are at the Matakana markets – good to know that I am not missing out by not being able to go up there each week!!!

When we came home on Saturday night I made a lovely hot smoked salmon salad for dinner using fresh asparagus and the dill from the market. The dressing was made with buttermilk, mayonnaise and fresh herbs. I didn’t have any mayonnaise in the fridge, so I made some. I just love the small bowl of my magimix food processor for making mayonnaise –it turns out perfectly every time!!!

not quite pinwheel biscuits

Last night I made some biscuits for a gift, but they didn’t turn out quite like I was hoping, so I’ve given them to a friend for her children. The recipe was a Julie Le Clerc one that I ripped out of a womens weekly for pinwheel cookies. They didn’t work out well for me though. For starters there wasn’t enough butter to make a nice smooth dough – I ended up adding more butter to the chocolate mix. But then the butter I added to the chocolate mix melted and the dough ended up being crumbly, as dough made with melted butter can be.

So I tried to roll the two mixes out together and roll up, but my funny crumbly mixture all cobbled together and so the biscuits are now marble biscuits rather than pinwheel!!! They actually look quite good I think, but the flavour is not chocolatey enough for me. A good biscuit for the lunch box but not special enough to give as some wee treats.

Actually, dinner last night was really yummy. My husband said he would like something with mince (you would think reading my posts that mince is all we eat – it’s honestly not!!! Maybe once every two weeks!!) but with Asian flavours. So, I cooked the meat with some chopped ginger, lemon grass, chilli flakes, lemon juice and fish sauce and it was so yummy!! I stirred through chopped coriander at the end and sprinkled over some roasted peanuts. We had it with hokkein noodles and what else this time of year, but asparagus!!!! :0)

Apron obsession

I love aprons!!!! I am never in the kitchen without one on. A few weeks ago on Jane’s Apron, Julie posted about an apron that she bought from this gorgeous looking on-line shop. Unfortunately they don’t ship to NZ. But it got me and my friend, Jenny, thinking! Jenny is very crafty and has lots of clever crafty friends. Jenny e-mailed her friend Monique, I went to spotlight and got some fabric and here is the beautiful apron Monique has made me for me.


Isn’t she clever!!!! Monique also makes very cool bracelets and she has been making some for me for myself and for presents. You can see some of her designs on her blog. I am so delighted with my new apron and can’t wait for it to arrive!!!

Last night we had pork schnitzel for dinner. Loosley following a recipe from Cuisine I crumbed it in a mixture of panko crumbs, slivered almonds, thyme and parsley. My husband said it was the best schnitzel he has tasted. Not being a great pork lover I only had a small taste but it was pretty good. I served it with pommes fondant (basically potatoes kept whole but sliced almost the whole way through and cooked in chicken stock), some apples sautéed in butter with dried cranberries and asparagus (can’t get enough of the stuff!!).

You say tomato....

I have never liked tomatoes. When I was a small child I went into the greenhouse of someone that my parents were visiting and ate a whole heap of green tomatoes which made me sick. I am sure that is why I don’t like them. Anything with cooked tomato I am fine with, but I will always pick the tomato out of a salad or a filled roll and I would never make or eat anything that was simply tomatoes.

That is until I went to Italy. In Italy I tried my first tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes – they taste like a summer’s day – slightly fragrant. In NZ we can also get pretty good tomatoes now. The best are those you grow yourself – especially the cherry tomatoes that you can pick straight off the vine while you are pegging out the washing!

Early season tomatoes have now started to hit the shops. I bought some earlier in the week and made a delicious salad from them last night. It was loosely following a recipe in the latest Julie Le clerc womens weekly magazine. It was basically tomatoes, some sliced and some cut into wedges, then tossed with basil leaves and a dressing of 3 tbsp good olive oil and 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (another one of those things that I think you absolutely must have in the cupboard!!). It was delicious. We had it with falafel made from frozen peas and chickpeas, based on a recipe from the latest Donna Hay magazine. Really nice for a change! I think I ate half the salad before my husband was even home for dinner!



And here are a couple of cards I made earlier in the week :0)

Bill's new book and spring salad

I can never resist a new cook book and I can’t make myself wait until Whitcoulls has 25% off – I have to have it now! So when I went into Whitcoulls yesterday and the latest Bill Granger book was on the shelf, I had to have it then!!!

I really like Bill Granger’s books – he uses fresh ingredients and has lots of gorgeous photos. The recipes are pretty simple, but I like his style. I have only been to Sydney once, but going to Bills (Bill Granger’s iconic café) was definitely on my to do list! Bills is famous for its breakfasts and when I went I actually had porridge with caramelised bananas! This may sound an odd choice, but porridge is actually one of my favourite foods!! I make up my own blend each morning for breakfast. It incorporates a mix of organic rolled oats, rye flakes, spelt flakes and barley flakes. Once cooked, I sprinkle over some sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and linseeds and serve it with yoghurt and milk. Delicious! I actually look forward to my breakfast when I go to bed!!!

Anyway, Bill’s new book, Holiday, is great! I had a read through last night. Lots of pretty pictures and great everyday recipes. I look forward to using it!



Last night for dinner I made a rice and smoked fish pie from the Julie Le Clerc womens weekly magazine. It was basically a mixture of smoked fish (I used smoked blue cod that I had bought at the Albany farmers market), cooked rice, eggs and cheese. I made a delicious spring salad to go with it, based on a recipe in the latest Dish magazine. I used rocket, blanched asparagus and peeled broad beans with a dressing of white wine vinegar, crushed garlic and hazelnut oil. It is amazing how something so simple can taste so good!!!

Fabulous produce from Takapuna markets

I always thought that the Takapuna market was a bit junky, until I read in cuisine about a stall where Natalia Schamroth gets organic baby leeks from. As soon as I read that I made it my mission to go early the next Sunday morning and have been going almost every second week since then. I tend to go about 7am before I come home and go for my run, as it is not so busy then and I get first pick at the produce available. The market is held every Sunday morning in the car park on Anzac St.

I tend to stick with the organic produce stalls, although there are lots of market gardeners there as well. I have my 4 favourite stalls and always go to these, maybe picking up something else of interest along the way. Buying at the market means that we tend to eat more in season, which is something I am becoming increasingly conscious of.

I love the baby leeks, baby sweet kumara, rainbow chard and smoked garlic that are not readily available from my usual fruit and vegetable shop. This week I got some even more exciting things – some fabulous home made Turkish bread, garlic shoots – which apparently you use in the same way that you use garlic, some sweet peas for the vase I have on the window by my kitchen sink and some fennel which I used on Sunday night in a dish with cannelini beans served with fish and tapenade.

Last night for dinner I made a recipe from Taste magazine – free range chicken breasts baked on a rice pilaf with smoked paprika, green olives and kidney beans. Honestly, I would only buy free range chicken now – it tastes so much better and is so tender!! Although, in saying that, I still find chicken breast a bit bland. I served it with my rainbow chard from the market, cooked my favourite way – lightly sautéed in a pan with some garlic until just wilted. It was yummy actually - I really enjoyed the smokiness of the smoked paprika as a contrast to the saltines of the olives!

spring cupcakes

Just about the only flowers left in our garden after my husband did a big clean up in the weekend, was a small bunch of violets. They were too cute not to use for something, so I crystallised them with egg white and sugar and used them as the decoration on these cupcakes.
For the cakes I used the recipe for Victorian sponge from the Peggy Porschen book. Last year I had bought some violet syrup at the Hastings farmers market and so used some of this to flavour the cakes.


The flavouring isn’t very strong though and they do taste pretty plain, but a delicious plain – very light and melting in your mouth. The icing went a bit more vivid than I intended, but the effect is quite cute with the little purple cupcake wrappers. I took these into work for morning tea.




Dinner last night was pork scallopine (havoc pork of course!) filled with cheese and asparagus served with polenta and parmesan potato wedges (both recipes from Dish magazine) and extra roast asparagus on the side. I made a sauce to go with it using Cyclops natural yoghurt instead of the crème fraiche specified in the recipe, wholegrain mustard and lemon juice. To make the pork scallopine I used pork schnitzel, sprinkled with grated cheese and then wrapped around a spear of asparagus. I only had a small bite of the pork but it was a surprisingly quick week day dinner meal and very tasty.

spring flowers & wee treats

Over the weekend I had another wee practice of my biscuit icing skills. The results are the tulips above. I think that they look lovely and spring like. I also tried to pipe some little icing flowers – what a disaster!! My first attempt was actually quite good. But it was all downhill from there! I think that I may need to go to a cake decorating class! I did try one at a local high school a few years ago, but only lasted one night – I thought that the teacher was a bit nana- ish. I may have to try again and a bit more open minded!! :0)

On Saturday night we met up with friend’s for dinner in the viaduct. It was one of our friend’s birthday, and I made her these biscuits.



They are Jaffa biscuits from an old Donna Hay magazine – really just a variation on shortbread with some orange zest added and then dipped in chocolate. You can see my wee treats label a bit more clearly in the photo. I finally read the instructions for my camera – I think my photography is getting a little better as a result!

A taste of Spring

Saturday night was one of the rare occasions when we had nothing social on. It was a gorgeous spring day and I really felt like something spring like for dinner. I had bought some fresh broad beans at the market and they inspired the whole meal! I read through a number of books looking for innovative ideas where broad beans could be the star of the meal, and I found one in one of my Jamie Oliver books. The salad is pictured above and was basically blanched broad beans with a dressing of peas mushed up with garlic, lemon juice, parmesan cheese and good evo, then grilled streaky bacon and toasted almonds scattered over the top. It was delicious! As you may be able to tell, part of good food to me is great texture! I loved the mouthfuls of creamy peas and beans with crispy salty bacon and crunchy almonds!

To go with it, another taste of Spring – scallops marinated in some olive oil and thyme, wrapped in streaky bacon and pan fried. To go with this I made some bread. I love making bread – the taste of some lovely home made fresh bread is far superior to anything you can buy in the shops. It is quite exciting as well to see the dough rise and the smell of the bread baking is fabulous! I used a recipe from the Donna Hay Fast Food which is one of the Marie Claire books. I made the dough into a flat bread, scattering the top with olives and chopped basil and drizzled with evo. It was the perfect thing to mop up the dressing of the salad.

I also did a spot of baking on Saturday afternoon, as my in-laws came to stay yesterday and being the dutiful daughter-in-law, I always like to have something in the tins! I made my old favourite chocolate chippie biscuits and also a really yummy banana and date loaf (another Donna Hay recipe from issue 29 of her magazine). I still make my Nana’s recipe for chocolate chip biscuits, as it always seems to give me the best texture.



Nana’s chocolate chip biscuits

4 oz butter (about 100g)
2 tbsp sugar (I use a house hold tbsp like Nana did, rather than my measuring spoons)
2 tbsp condensed milk
1 c flour
1 tsp b powder
about ½ c chocolate chips

· Beat together butter and sugar and then beat in condensed milk.
· Mix in rest of ingredients
· Roll into balls and flatten with a fork; bake at about 160 for 15-20 minutes

I like mine to be quite pale. Sometimes I use a mixture of ground almonds and flour and use milk chocolate melts for something different. Perfect with a glass of milk!!!

PS IF anyone can give me some tips on focussing my camera better it would be much appreciated!!! :0)

New Season Asparagus

Asparagus is one of my favourite vegetables and I so look forward to the start of Spring and the beginning of the asparagus season. Last night we had our first asparagus of the season. It was delicious!! I often roast asparagus, as I like the nutty flavour that roasting brings out in it. But last night I used a recipe from Dish magazine as a base – asparagus with romesco sauce. I thought that the romesco would go well with the fish (which I baked in the oven with a topping of wholemeal breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan and wild oregano) and boiled gems that we were also having for dinner.

The gems (I cant remember if they are called sweet gems, golden gems or wee gems!!) are kind of like a cross between a yam and a potato – they look like a very small potato, but have golden flesh like a yam. I actually am not a big fan. Vegetables are my thing – I love them all apart from swede and yams, so the taste similarities between the gems and a yam do not really do it for me. But my husband likes them. The texture is very waxy, so really the only thing you can do with them is boil them. I got mine from Nosh (www.noshgourmet.com).

The romesco sauce was really tasty. The recipe called for ½ cup olive oil, but I cut that back to just a drizzle. I guess that meant mine was less sauce like, but I liked that. It went well with the asparagus, the fish and the gems.

Romesco Sauce

1 slice sour dough bread, crusts removed
70 g packet whole almonds, toasted
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 roasted red pepper
200g tomatoes (as tomatoes are yucky at the moment, I used ½ can drained whole tomatoes)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil to taste
sea salt and pepper

- chop up bread, almonds, paprika and garlic in food processor
- add red pepper, tomatoes and red wine vinegar – combine to a smoothish paste (l like mine a little chunky)
- drizzle in enough evo to get the consistency you want and season with salt and pepper