I've been running a curry train more-or-less continuously since my mom left. Reiver was about ready for a break from non-stop curries though and we'd hit a point where we were getting slightly low on leftovers anyway, so I decided to change it up for a bit. And, given that we're trying to be a bit more budget-conscious right now, I figured it might be a good time to revisit the Budget Byte$ blog. We had everything but the sausages on hand for this Dublin coddle already and it sounded tasty, so it seemed as good a place to start as any.

It was a great success! Everyone loved it. Everything was nicely cooked and the flavour was excellent.

And relatively affordable as well. Not as cheap as a dal, but not terrible either. I wanted to check since the Budget Byte$ recipes aren't always quite as affordable as one might like. At least not here in NZ. I was shocked to see pound cake come up on the blog and intrigued to see how they'd made it more budget-friendly. The answer? They hadn't. Apparently pound cake is still an affordable dessert in the US. They'd figured the 4 eggs you'd need for it would only cost $0.68. That's $0.68 total, not each! And the 240g of butter was supposedly only another $0.98. I think they figured the whole cake would have cost just over $5 to make. Meanwhile, here, the butter alone would run nearly $5! So, when they said that the coddle should cost a bit over $11 to make, I was skeptical... But it's not too bad! I think you'd struggle to do it for under $15 here, but that's still not terrible when you get anywhere between 3-6 servings out of it (depending on how big your portions are).

Running the numbers based on grocery prices here, I figured it should probably cost somewhere between $15 and $20 to make this coddle, depending on how you buy your groceries. If you're willing to get a 10kg bag of potatoes, use 1kg for this, and find another use for the other 9kg, then that helps bring the price down through economy of scale. Same deal with the onions. If you just buy the 2 onions you need for the stew, it'll cost you a bit more per onion than if you're willing to buy a 2kg bag of onions and use the others somewhere else. I think this would also be a good place to use bacon pieces rather than the streaky bacon called for in the recipe as you're just chopping it up anyway and you can get bacon pieces for ~$10/kg, while it can be tricky to find streaky bacon for much under $20/kg. So, if you're willing to buy in bulk, you can probably make this for $15. If you're just buying exactly as much of each ingredient as you need for this particular recipe, then it'd probably come out closer to $20 for the pot. So, definitely not the cheapest meal ever, but, as noted, not ridiculous either.

Dublin Coddle

Slightly adapted from Budget Byte$"

Ingredients

• 250g bacon pieces (or chopped streaky bacon)
• 450g sausages (I like beef, but any will work)
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 4 tsp. minced/crushed garlic
• 1 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 1kg potatoes, cut into 3-4cm pieces
• 2 c. chicken broth
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
2. Cook of the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
3. Add the sausages and sear on all sides.
4. Remove sausages and bacon from the pan (leaving any grease behind).
5. Bacon pieces are less fatty than streaky bacon, so you might need to add an extra splash of oil at this point depending on what you used.
6. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and beginning to colour.
7. Add pepper, potatoes, chicken stock, parsley, and thyme and stir to combine.
8. Place sausages and bacon on top.
9. Cover and bake at 150°C (300°F) for 90 minutes.
10. Remove lid and continue baking for another 30 minutes.

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Variants

InstantPot Version

I think this recipe would lend itself particularly well to an InstantPot/multi-cooker, I just need to figure out how to adjust the seasonings and liquid for it.

Masaaledar Phool Gobhi (Spicy Cauliflower)

I really liked this curry. I accidentally made it with twice as much onion, garlic, and ginger as it was supposed to have, but I would absolutely do it that way again. I loved the sweetness of the onion with the acidity of the tomato and the spiciness of the cayenne.

Masaaledar Phool Gobhi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 12 cloves garlic, sliced
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 small (400mL) tin diced tomatoes
• 450g cauliflower florets
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chickpea flour (besan)
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until well-browned (12-15 minutes).
3. Add the cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and turmeric, stir to combine, and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
4. Add the tomatoes, water, and cauliflower, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until cauliflower is tender (~12 minutes).
5. Stir in the chickpea flour and cook until sauce is slightly thickened (1-2 minutes).
6. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

This is a very brothy curry. Basically a soup. Which would normally feature "drumsticks" as the vegetable component. I'm not a huge fan of drumsticks, so I swapped in asparagus since it's now in season here. I also reduced the water quite a bit to make a thicker curry. While I found the results acceptable, neither of us were blown away by it and I probably won't be revisiting this one. It wasn't bad, just not good enough to get excited over either.

Palidu

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toor dal)
• 2-4 c. water, divided
• 1-2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. chickpea flour (besan)
• 2 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chiles (or 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne + 3/4 tsp. sweet paprika)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped and cut into 5cm pieces
• 4 pieces kokum¹
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the pigeon peas, then place in a pot with 2 c. of the water.
2. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until peas are tender (20-25 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, heat ghee over medium heat.
4. Add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
5. Add garlic paste and cook for another minute or so.
6. Add chickpea flour and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Once peas are tender, blitz with a blender.
8. Add the chickpea flour mixture and stir to combine.
9. If you want a thinner broth, add up to 2 c. of additional water.
10. Stir in masala, ground chilies, and salt.
11. Add asparagus and kokum and bring to a boil.
12. Cook for a minute, remove from heat, stir in cilantro, and serve.

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¹ I didn't have any kokum, so I tossed in a tsp. of tamarind concentrate in its place. ^Back

The grocery store has had discount pork ribs available for the last few weeks, but I've resisted buying any because I was worried that I wouldn't have the wherewithal to get them cooked. I was finally feeling up to the task this weekend, so I grabbed a pack and decided to try this somewhat unusual curry-inspired rib recipe.

They were very tasty! They looked beautiful and the glaze was delicious. I thought that the sauce might be superfluous on top of the glaze and the marinade, but it was fantastic and really added a lot. The ribs were good without the sauce, but even better with it.

While the flavour was excellent, they weren't quite as tender and juicy as I would've liked. I think that could be down to the cooking method. The instructions for charcoal said to cook them over indirect heat. But the gas grill instructions had you putting them over low, direct heat. I think that next time I might try indirect heat, even if I am using a gas grill. And I might try wrapping them for the initial cooking time as well.

Because I haven't dialed in the cooking time and technique yet, I've just written up the instructions for what I actually did first. Below that I'll put suggestions for what I'd like to try next time.

Indian Fusion Pork Ribs

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Ribs

• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1.8-2kg pork ribs

Glaze

• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1/4 c. jaggery or brown
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 2 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies (or 1/2 tsp. cayenne + 1/2 Tbsp. sweet paprika)
• 2 tsp. balti masala
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Sauce

• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1-3 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, and turmeric and mix well.
2. Slather the mixture onto the meat side of the ribs and chill for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
3. Preheat barbecue to high.
4. Reduce heat to low, then add the ribs, meat side down. Cover the grill and cook for 35-45 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine the tomato paste, jaggery, vinegar, oil, ground chilies, balti masala, and salt to make the glaze. Set aside.
6. Flip the ribs meat side up, cover the grill, and cook for another 20-25 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, combine the garlic and chilies and mash to a pulp with a mortar as pestle.
8. Heat the oil over medium heat.
9. Add the onion and cook until edges start to brown (~5 minutes).
10. Add the garlic-chile mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, salt, and turmeric and cook until vinegar has mostly evaporated.
12. Add the water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened (~10 minutes).
13. If you desire a smooth sauce, blitz it with a blender.
14. Once ribs are cooked through, brush all over with the glaze.
15. Return to grill, meat side up, cover grill, and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
16. Remove from grill and rest for ~5 minutes before serving.
17. Meanwhile, rewarm the sauce (if necessary) and sprinkle in the cilantro (if using).
18. Cut the ribs apart and serve with the sauce (either pour it over or serve it along side for dipping).

Suggested Improved Cooking

1. Prepare and use marinade as directed above.
2. Preheat one side of grill to 150°C (300°F).
3. Wrap ribs in foil or place on a baking sheet and cover with foil.
4. Place over indirect heat, cover grill, and cook for 1.5-2 hours.
5. Meanwhile, make the glaze and sauce as directed above.
6. Increase the grill temperature to 190°C (375°F).
7. Transfer the ribs to direct heat and baste top side with glaze.
8. Cover grill and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Flip and baste other side with glaze, cover grill, and cook for another five minutes.
10. Repeat, glazing each side once more with 5 minutes of covered cooking between each.
11. Cut ribs apart and serve with sauce.

This recipe didn't really work. I actually found it quite tasty, but it was excessively wet. And Reiver found it too wet and walnut-y to be properly tasty. I think this one is salvagable, but it doesn't quite work as written. The recipe below reflects my recommended fix rather than the original.

Apple-Carrot Loaf

Adapted from CakeLove in the Morning by Warren Brown

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. carrots, peeled and grated
• 1/2 c. apple, peeled and grated
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1/4 c. oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
• 1/2 c. sultanas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 23x13cm (9x5") loaf pan.
2. Combine the carrots, apple, brown sugar, ginger, oil, eggs, and honey and mix well.
3. Sift the baking powder into the flour.
4. Mix in the cinnamon, salt, walnuts, and sultanas.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 180°C (350°F) until done (45-55 minutes).
7. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

I wanted to make something a bit special for dessert last night. These not only fit the bill, but had a pleasingly short bake time. I didn't have enough ramekins, so I used some extra-large muffin tins instead. I suspected that the cakes might cook a bit faster in the muffin tins than in the ramekins, so I shaved a minute of the baking time. It turns out that I should've gone with my original instinct and shaved a full three minutes off the baking time! The resulting cakes were soft in the middle, but decidedly not "molten". Oh well... now I'll know for next time.

I also used 72% dark chocolate because that's what I had on hand, but I think that was actually a bit too dark for this recipe. If I do it again, I'll use 50% dark chocolate instead. They weren't bad as-is, but they were a bit darker and more bitter than I would've liked. But with a slightly less dark chocolate and baked for just a couple minutes less, I think they would've been perfect.

Photo goes here.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 250g dark chocolate (pref. 50%)
• 55g butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 large egg yolks
• 6 Tbsp. sugar, divided
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder, sifted
• 3 large egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease six ramekins or a 6-well jumbo muffin tin. Dust generously with cocoa powder.
2. Gently melt the cocolate with the butter.
3. Mix in the vanilla and set aside to cool.
4. Beat the egg yolks with 3 Tbsp. of the sugar and the cocoa powder.
5. Drizzle in the chocolate mixture while beating. (Resulting batter will be very thick.)
6. In a clean bowl with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until frothy.
7. Gradually beat in the remaining 3 Tbsp. of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
8. Stir half of the meringue into the batter to loosen it.
9. Gently fold in the remaning half of the meringue.
10. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins/muffin tins.
11. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 10-13 minutes. (10 minutes for muffin tins, 12-13 for ramekins.)
12. Turn cakes out onto plates and serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream, and/or raspberry coulis.

Sirka Paneer (Vinegar Paneer)

This is a really interesting curry. It has a lot of elements to it, both in the bulk and the flavour elements. It's full of potato and cauliflower in a tomato-y sauce (like aloo gobhi). But the sauce is also full of vinegar and chilies (like a vindaloo). But then it also has the bouncy paneer and creamy coconut milk added at the end. It's almost like you're getting three curries in one!

I do find the vinegar with the coconut milk slightly confusing to my palate. I'm used to a curry either having the sharpness of the vinegar or the creaminess of the coconut milk, not both. It is a tasty curry, but I think it's a bit too confusing to ever be a favourite for me. That said, I do appreciate how hearty it is with the paneer, cauliflower, and potatoes.

Sirka Paneer

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c. water, divided
• 1/4 c. malt or cider vinegar
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 1-2 dried red Thai or cayenne/arbol chilies
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp. ginger paste
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 c. cauliflower florets
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 250g paneer, cut into 2cm cubes and fried¹
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine 1/4 c. of the water with the vinegar, tomato paste, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fresh and dried chilies, garlic, and ginger in a blender and purée.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and cook until just starting to brown (3-5 minutes).
4. Add the paste and cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Add the remaining 1 c. of water to the blender and swish it out. Add this to the pan.
6. Add the cauliflower, potatoes, and salt to the pan and bring to a boil.
7. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
8. Add the paneer and coconut milk and simmer for another 10 minutes.
9. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

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¹ Tossing the paneer cubes with a little oil and air-frying at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes works very well and saves a lot of time and effort. Alternatively, you can sometimes find bags of pre-fried paneer cubes in the frozen section of Indian grocery stores... ^Back

Tamatar Paneer (Tomato Paneer)

I was going to make a lamb curry next, but I found some paneer on sale at the Indian grocery store and decided to cook that as our protein tonight instead.

I love this curry. The paneer makes it satisfying and high-protein. And while it takes a bit of time to cook the onions down, it's not particularly difficult and doesn't require many spices or other ingredients. And while the cream is moderately expensive most of the other ingredients are quite affordable. Especially if you can get a good deal on the paneer! The cream also makes it deliciously rich and luxurious. Oh, and it also doesn't require marinating or pre-frying the paneer. So, pretty great all round!

Tamatar Paneer

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 250g paneer, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt ghee over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cardamom, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is nicely browned (~20 minutes).
4. Add the tomato paste, coriander, cayenne, and turmeric and cook until darkened (3-5 minutes).
5. Add water, paneer, and salt and cook, covered, until sauce thickens (~15 minutes).
6. Add the milk and cream and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
7. Stir in cilantro and serve.

This was meant to be spiced clementines with toasted pound cake but a) we didn't have enough eggs or sugar left to make the pound cake and b) it felt like a bit of a waste. We were going to have them with some store-bought sponge, but the local Countdown was all out. So we ended up just spooning them over a bit of vanilla ice cream instead. And they were quite tasty that way. A nice, refereshing summer dessert.

Spiced Clementines

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. water
• 4 allspice berries, lightly crushed (or 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground allspice)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 star anise, lightly crushed
• 2 black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 vanilla bean
• 6-8 clementines
• 1/4 c. fresh mint¹

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, water, allspice, cinnamon, star anise, and black peppercorns.
2. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out. Add both the seeds and the empty pod to the pot with the other ingredients.
3. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar has dissolved completely.
4. Peel the clemeintines and slice crosswise.
5. Add clementine slices to syrup and remove from heat.
6. Allow to steep for 20-30 minutes, then serve over cake or ice cream and top with mint.

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¹ I completely forgot about the fresh mint when I made this. Even though that was half the reason for doing it since I had a bunch of mint in the fridge that needed using. Whoops! ^Back

This is meant to be made with fresh pears, but we had tinned pears to use up, so I just tossed them in. I've written up the instructions for fresh pears. If you're using tinned, then just omit the water and only add the pears for the last minute or two of cooking.

Whole Wheat Walnut Waffles with Maple-Pear Sauce

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Waffles

• 190g whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 40g butter, melted
• 50g unsweetened applesauce
• 2-4 Tbsp. finely chopped walnuts

Sauce

• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2-4 pears, peeled and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 c. maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. water
• zest of 1/4 a lemon

Directions

1. Combine the flour and sugar and sift in the baking powder.
2. Beat the eggs into the milk.
3. Mix in the vanilla, butter, and applesauce.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
5. Mix in the walnuts.
6. Preheat your waffle iron.
7. Pour in a portion of batter and cook according to manufacturer directions.
8. Repeat with remaining batter.
9. While waffles are cooking, toss the pears with the lemon juice.
10. Melt the butter over medium heat.
11. Add the pears and cook for a minute or two.
12. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the maple syrup, water, and lemon zest and simmer until pears are tender (5-7 minutes).
13. Transfer pears to a bowl, increase heat to medium-high and cook until sauce is syrupy (5-10 minutes).
14. Serve waffles topped with pears, sauce, and extra walnuts (if desired).

Jhinga Vindaloo (Shrimp Vindaloo)

I had a busy day of moving boxes and furniture today, so I wanted something easy for dinner. I decided to throw together this simple curry and serve it with rice and dal. It worked out quite well! Even if I didn't make it quite to spec. (My shrimp were much smaller than what Iyer calls for and frozen rather than fresh.)

Jhinga Vindaloo

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 10 raw cashews, ground
• 450g large shrimp (32-40 per kilo), peeled and deveined
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine vinegar, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt, turmeric, and ground cashews and stir to form a paste.
2. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat.
4. Add the shrimp (reserving any residual marinade), and sear for 1 minute on each side.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, add any remaining marinade, and cook until shrimp is pink, opaque, and curled.
6. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Aardak Lasoon Masoor ki Dal (Ginger-Garlic Red Lentils)

I wanted a dal to go with my shrimp vindaloo and I felt like red lentils and/or pigeon peas would work particularly well. This red lentil dal caught my eye first, so that's what I went with. It was very nice. Especially with the optional spinach. It could probably use even more if you wanted to work some more veggies into the meal.

Aardak Lasoon Masoor ki Dal

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split brown lentils (masoor dal/Egyptian lentils/red lentils)
• 3 c. water
• 1-2 onions¹, coarsely chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies
• 4 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. ghee (or coconut oil for a vegan option)
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1-2 dried red cayenne/arbol or Thai chilies
• 1 small (~400mL) tin diced tomatoes
• 1/4-1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach or kale (optional)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse the lentils.
2. Add water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat.
3. Skim off any foam, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender (~20 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, add the onions, garlic, and green chilies to a food processor and pulse to chop.
5. Melt the ghee over medium heat.
6. Add the cumin and dried chilies and sizzle until fragrant and chilies blacken (20-30 seconds).
7. Add the onion mixture along with the ginger paste and stir-fry until onion softens (~5 minutes).
8. Add the tomatoes and spinach (if using) and cook until spinach is thawed and sauce has thickened slightly (5-10 minutes).
9. Pour the sauce into the pot with the lentils and stir to combine.
10. Simmer to let flavours meld (3-5 minutes).
11. Stir in cilantro and serve.

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¹ The original recipe only calls for 1 (red) onion, but my onions were on the small side, so I used two. ^Back

I love sticky toffee pudding, but I've never actually made it myself. This is the first recipe that I've tried, but I really like it. And so did Reiver and my mom. I think I'd like to try adjusting the proportions sometime, just because it would be nice to have even more dates in it. That said, I've written the recipe up without modifications this time because it was so good as is. I'll put my suggested modifications below.

I ran out of brown sugar when making the sauce so I ended up using some white sugar mixed with molasses. I ended up putting in way more molasses than needed to make a brown sugar equivalent, so the sauce was much darker than intended, but Reiver really liked it and says he'd do it that way on purpose in the future.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

Pudding/Cake

• 1/2 c. chopped dates
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 c. boiling water
• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. (140g) flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt (if using unsalted butter)

Sauce

• 1/4 c. butter
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. molasses (optional, for extra dark sauce)
• 3/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• small pinch of salt

Directions

1. Combine the dates and bakiing soda and pour over the boiling water. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour either eight 1/2-cup ramekins or one large casserole dish.
3. Cream the butter with the sugar until lightened.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
5. Beat in the vanilla.
6. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt (if using) and mix until combined.
7. Add the date mixture and stir to combine. Mixture will be fairly thin.
8. Pour batter into prepared dish(es) and bake at 180°C (350°F) until done; ~20 minutes for small puddings, 50 minutes for one large one.
9. Meanwhile, combine the butter, brown sugar, molasses (if using), and cream for the sauce and bring to a gentle simmer.
10. Cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.
11. Stir in vanilla and salt.
12. Once the pudding is done, remove from oven.
13. For small puddings, turn them out onto warmed plates and pour sauce over. For a large pudding, scoop generous spoonfuls into bowls and pour sauce over.
14. Top with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream if desired.

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Variations

Sticky Date Pudding

Ingredients

Pudding/Cake

• 1 c. chopped dates
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 c. boiling water
• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. (140g) flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt (if using unsalted butter)

Sauce

• 1/4 c. butter
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. molasses (optional, for extra dark sauce)
• 3/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• small pinch of salt

Nanny's Lemon Cream

This is the lemon curd that I grew up eating. It's my great-grandmother's recipe. And we all called it lemon curd, but when we got her recipe, she had it written down as "lemon cream". It's very good. Simple. And I like that it uses whole eggs rather than just the yolks. I've now also tried it with grapefruit and can vouch for the results. I expect it would work wonderfully with limes as well!

Lemon Cream

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 c. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 3 Tbsp. butter

Directions

1. Combine sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and water and mix very well.
2. Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
3. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

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Variations

Grapefruit Cream

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 c. (or a bit more) grapefruit juice
• 3 Tbsp. butter

This was a decent cake, but I don't feel like there was enough batter for the 23x13cm (9x5") loaf pan called for. Next time I'd try baking it in a smaller 20x10cm (8x4") pan. Also, although it's supposed to be "extra lemony" with lemon zest in the cake itself and juice in the syrup and glaze... I felt like it could've used even more lemon. I think I'd try putting a bit of lemon juice into the batter as well next time, just to really punch it up.

I cut back the sugar in the batter by 1/3 because I was worried about it being too sweet by the time I'd added the syrup and the glaze. I think it probably would've been okay with the full amount of sugar after all, especially if I end up putting some extra lemon juice into the batter, but Reiver was glad for the reduced sugar and said it would've been way too sweet if prepared as written.

Overall, I think I like my grandma's "lemon bread" better, but I'm still glad to have tried this version. And the blueberries were an interesting addition.

Photo goes here.

Lemon-Blueberry Drizzle Cake

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

Cake

• 100g butter, softened
• 100-150g sugar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (optional)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 c. milk
• 210g (1 1/2 c.) flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. frozen blueberries

Syrup

• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp. sugar

Glaze

• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 60g icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease and flour a 20x10cm (8x4") loaf tin.
2. Cream the butter with the sugar.
3. Beat in the lemon zest and juice (if using).
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
5. Mix in the milk.
6. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir to combine.
7. Fold in the blueberries.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
9. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 50-60 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and cool in tin for 10 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, Bring the sugar and lemon juice for the syrup to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thickened slightly.
12. Turn cake out onto wire rack and poke all over with a skewer or chopstick.
13. Drizzle or brush with syrup.
14. Allow to cool for at least half an hour longer.
15. Combine lemon juice and icing sugar and mix until smooth and drizzle over the cake.

This was delicious. And I like the ratio of chicken to broccoli.

Chicken and Broccoli in White Sauce

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 large chicken breast (~300g), sliced
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. oil

Broccoli and Sauce

• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 4 c. broccoli florets
• 2 tsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch + 3 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Combine chicken, water, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and oil, mix well, and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Combine the sugar, salt, sesame oil, white pepper, and chicken stock, mix well, and set aside.
3. Bring ~6 c. of water to a boil.
4. Add the broccoli and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Strain out the broccoli, but keep the water boiling in the wok.
6. Add the chicken to the boiling water and cook until no longer pink. Drain and set aside, this time discarding the water.
7. Clean the wok, then heat the oil over medium heat-high heat.
8. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 10-20 seconds.
9. Drizzle in the shaoxing wine around the edges of the wok.
10. Stir the sauce and drizzle that in as well.
11. Give the corn starch slurry a stir and slowly pour it into the wok.
12. Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens.
13. Add the broccoli and chicken and toss to combine.
14. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until heated through.
15. Serve with rice.

We have an excess of citrus right now, so I picked this out to use up some of it.

Lemon Pudding Cake

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 1 c. sugar, divided
• 1/4 c. flour
• 3 lemons
• 50g butter, melted
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 1/4 c. cream of tartar (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and place a 20cm (8") square baking dish inside a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
2. Combine 3/4 c. of the sugar with the flour.
3. Zest the lemons and mix in the grated zest.
4. Mix in 1/3 c. of lemon zest.
5. Stir in the melted butter and egg yolks.
6. Add the milk and stir to combine.
7. In a clean bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar (if using).
8. Beat until foamy, then gradually mix in the remaining 1/4 c. of sugar and beat until stiff.
9. Mix ~1/3 of the meringue into the batter.
10. Fold in the remaining meringue until no longer streaky.
11. Pour the batter into the 20cm (8") pan.
12. Pour hot water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the smaller pan.
13. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until top is lightly brown and firm (~40 minutes).
14. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.

I needed to use up a chicken breast and some mushrooms, so this was pretty much perfect. It probably ended up with a bit less chicken than called for, but I had a few extra mushrooms, so I think it all worked out in the wash. I also added some peas, just to have something green in there and make it a little more nutritionally complete.

Chicken Tetrazzini with Peas

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion (or 2 shallots), halved and sliced
• 1 tsp. garlic paste (optional)
• 250-300g mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/3 c. flour
• 3 c. chicken stock
• 2 c. frozen peas (optional)
• 300-500g cooked chicken, shredded
• 225-300g dried pasta, cooked
• 3/4 c. grated Parmesan, divided
• 1 c. fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. margerine (or butter)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and oil a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
2. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
3. Add the onion and cook until softened (3-5 minutes).
4. Add garlic (if using) and mushrooms, cover, and cook until they release their liquid.
5. Uncover and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed or boiled off.
6. Add butter.
7. Once butter is melted, add flour to make a roux and cook, stirring, until no longer raw-smelling.
8. Slowly stir in chicken stock and cook until thickened.
9. Stir in the peas (if using) and cook until heated through.
10. Mix in chicken, pasta, and 1/2 c. of the Parmesan.
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 c. of Parmesan.
13. Dot with margerine (or more butter).
14. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes.

We had a bunch of dried out bread heels and odds and ends in the cupboard, so I decided that a bread pudding was in order. I had to increase the amount of custard called for by quite a bit. But my bread was also very, very dry, so I think it needed a bit more liquid than expected to properly hydrate it. I'm also not sure exactly how much bread I used. I just kept putting in bits until it looked like a good amount for the baking dish. I also used a mix of fresh and dried apple rather than purely dried as called for in the recipe. I think I'd put even more fresh apple in next time!

Photo goes here.

Apple Bread Pudding

Adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• stale bread (enough to cover bottom of 23x33cm baking dish), cut/broken into 3cm chunks
• 1-2 apples, peeled and diced
• 1/2-3/4 c. chopped dried apple
• 2 Tbsp. raisins or dried currants
• 2 1/2 c. whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 6 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp. sugar

Directions

1. Grease a 23x33cm baking dish.
2. Scatter the bread in the bottom of the baking dish.
3. Scatter the apples and raisins on top.
4. Beat the eggs and brown sugar into the milk.
5. Mix in 1 tsp. of the cinnamon, the vanilla, and the nutmeg.
6. Pour the custard over the bread and set aside for 30 minutes, pressing the bread down into the custard periodically.
7. Meanwhile, mix the remaining cinnamon with the sugar and set aside.
8. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).
9. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the pudding.
10. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for ~1 hour.
11. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving.
12. Serve with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream.

We had half of a very large daikon left in the fridge and some mushrooms that needed using, so this dish seemed ideal. I was actually a bit short on daikon and we only had white mushrooms, not shiitake. And I only had about half of the amount of mince called for. Given that, I decided to double the mushrooms. I think this worked quite well! I didn't miss the extra meat and I liked the proportion of daikon to mushrooms.

Braised Daikon Bowls

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp. oil
• 3 star anise
• 2 tsp. sichuan peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 2 c. water
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 4 green onions, chopped, greens and whites separated
• 100-200g ground beef or pork
• 500-700g daikon, peeled and cut into 1x2cm pieces
• 8 shiitake mushrooms or 16 white or cremini mushrooms, sliced thick
• 1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch + 3 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Heat oil over low heat.
2. Add star anise and sichuan peppercorns and infuse oil for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, salt, soy sauces, oyster sauce, and water and mix well. Set aside.
4. Strain solids out of oil, return oil to wok, and heat over medium heat.
5. Add garlic paste, ginger paste, and the white parts of the green onions and stir-fry for a minute or so.
6. Add the mince and stir-fry, breaking up, until cooked through.
7. Add the diakon and mushrooms and stir-fry for a minute or so.
8. Drizzle the wine around the edges of the wok and toss to combine.
9. Give the sauce a stir and pour it into the wok.
10. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until daikon is tender (~15 minutes).
11. Give the cornstarch mixture a stir and drizzle it into the wok.
12. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until sauce thickens (30-60 seconds).
13. Stir in the green parts of the green onions.
14. Serve over rice.

This is a very rich stew served in a buttery mustard gravy. The beer in question was meant to be a porter, but I used stout. I also used ~250mL less liquid than the recipe called for. I also used less chicken than called for and a mix of drumsticks and thighs rather than just thighs. I doubled the onions and added a bit of garlic as well.

The resulting stew was excellent! That said, I think it could've used more vegetables. I think I'd put more carrots and potatoes next time and/or add a bit of turnip/swede or something.

Beer-Braised Chicken Stew

Adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1.2-1.5kg chicken pieces
• salt and pepper
• 6 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 400-500g carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
• 500-600g potatoes, cut into 4cm pieces
• 1 kumara, peeled and cut into 4cm pieces
• 1 rutabaga/swede, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces (optional)
• 500mL stout
• 500mL chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon or Roman mustard
• 2-3 tsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 c. hot water

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear for a few minutes on each side.
3. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
4. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in the pot.
5. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened and beginning to brown.
6. Add the bay leaf, carrots, potatoes, kumara, and rutabaga (if using).
7. Add the stout, chicken broth, brown sugar, mustard, tomato paste, and thyme.
8. Return chicken to pot and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
10. Mash the remaining 5 Tbsp. of butter with the flour to form a paste.
11. Slowly add 2 c. of the cooking liquid to the flour paste while stirring until smooth.
12. Pour gravy back into pot.
13. Rinse out measuring cup the gravy was mixed in with the hot water and pour that into the pot as well.
14. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
15. Check to make sure chicken is cooked through, season to taste, and serve.

I wanted dessert. I didn't want anything that require too much effort. Or an overnight chill. And I wanted to be able to make it with ingredients on hand. And to be tasty without being too rich.

This banana cake fit the bill. Although it looked overly sweet recipe-as-written. So I halved the sugar and honey. I also reduced the butter by 20% and replaced half of the remaining butter with unsweetened applesauce. Mostly because butter is very expensive here and I was trying not to use too much. And then, just for fun, I decided to replace 140g of the flour with whole wheat flour.

I'm happy with how it came out in the end. It's tasty without being decadent. Having tasted it, I think it probably would've been fine if made according to the original recipe, you'd just want to be prepared for a quite rich, sweet cake.

I do think that either version would benefit from some additional banana. Two bananas makes for a subtle banana flavour, but I think I'd appreciate a more intensely banana-y cake. I might up it to three or four bananas next time. It might also be nice to try replacing the brown sugar with additional honey just to double down on the primary flavours. Reiver also suggested adding some yoghurt to the recipe, which I think sounds like could make a great addition, so I've added it below.

Banana-Honey Cake

Adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. honey (or 1/4 c. brown sugar + 1/4 c. honey)
• 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 3-4 bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 315g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour (or 140g whole wheat flour + 175g plain flour)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 20cm square cake tin.
2. Cream the butter with the honey.
3. Mix in the applesauce.
4. Beat in the bananas, followed by the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla.
5. Sift in the flour(s), baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and stir to combine.
6. Pour batter into preapared tin and smooth top.
7. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30-35 minutes.
8. Let cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Maggi Packet Knockoffs

The Kidlet has enjoyed making meals from the Maggie packets while she's been over here, so we're sending her home with a bunch. That said, I'd like her to still be able to make her meals even once the packets run out, so I'm going to put some suggested approximations here. I've only done (and tested) the bolognese one so far, but I'll add others as I do them.

Bolognese

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1-2 bay leaves

To Prepare

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• ~1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 100-200g mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 500g ground beef
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• ~1/2 can (~200mL) water
• 1 c. frozen peas or spinach
• 400g dried spaghetti or other pasta

NB: Reiver likes to add frozen peas. I prefer frozen spinach. We both like to add a few mushrooms. Feel free to simmer a cheese bone in the sauce as well.

Chili con Carne

Stroganoff

NB: The package only calls for 75g of mushrooms; I would recommend using at least 250g. I also recommend using at least 1/2 c. sour cream, rather than the 2 Tbsp. called for. Frozen peas are a nice addition if you have them: 1-2 c. depending on how vegetably you want it.

Deviled Sausages

I didn't love this and probably wouldn't bother making it again. That said, the Kidlet really liked it, so it might be worth keeping the recipe on hand for her sake if nothing else.

Bean Dip

Slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

Dip

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cans (~400mL each) chili beans
• 3/4 c. enchilada sauce
• 1/3 c. sour cream
• 1 c. grated cheese

Toppings

Pick 2-4

• Roma tomato, diced
• avocado, diced
• feta or cotija cheese, crumbled
• green onion, chopped
• fresh cilantro
• lime juice
• sour cream

Directions

1. Melt butter in and oven-proof skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft and translucent (3-5 minutes).
3. Add beans and enchilada sauce and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Mash.
5. Stir in sour cream and half the cheese.
6. Top with remaining cheese and broil until melty and bubbling (3-4 minutes).
7. Serve with tortilla chips and desired toppings.

Masala Bhindi Tamatar (Okra and Tomato Curry)

I needed a vegetable curry that I could throw together on short notice with ingredients on hand. This worked. It did not achieve Iyer's result with his students of converting the dubious to okra lovers. But I was a perfectly acceptable vegetable side that got the job done.

Photo goes here.

Masala Bhindi Tamatar

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 dried Thai or cayenne/arbol chilies
• 450g okra, sliced 1-2cm thick
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne (or Kashmiri chilies)
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the cumin and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
3. Add the chilies and toast for 5-10 seconds.
4. Add the okra and cook until skin begins to blister (~10 minutes).
5. Add the coriander, salt, cayenne, and turmeric and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and water and stir to combine.
7. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

The recipe calls these marshmallow puffs, but, according to Reiver, these are basically rocky road. Whatever you call them, they make a surprisingly tasty low-effort dessert.

Marshmallow Puffs

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 27-36 marshmallows
• 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp. butter

Directions

1. Line a 23cm (9") square tin with baking paper and grease the paper.
2. Arrange the marshmallows in the prepared tin.
3. Combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat gently, stirring periodically, until melted and smooth. Alternatively, melt over low heat, stirring, until smooth.
4. Pour the chocolate mixture over the marshmallows and allow to cool until set.
5. Remove from tin, cut into squares, and serve.

I've been wanting to make these brownies for a couple of weeks. I finally managed to get it together enough to get the ingredients for them about a week ago, but it took me another week to find the spoons to actually make them.

Having tried it, I'm not sure the raspberry jam really adds anything, but I'm glad I tried it! The brownie itself is excellent. And the jam doesn't ruin it. I'm just not sure it makes it better either.

Photo goes here.

Chocolate-Raspberry Brownies

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 120g butter
• 120g unsweetened chocolate¹
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 300g sugar
• 100g flour
• 1/2 c. raspberry jam

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F) and grease a 20cm (8") square tin.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate over low heat.
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and sugar.
4. Mix in the eggs.
5. Stir in the flour.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and dollop with jam.
7. Drag a knife through the batter to create a marbled effect.
8. Bake at 160°C (325°F) until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs stuck to it (~45 minutes).

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¹ I couldn't find any unsweetened chocolate, so I just got very dark chocolate and used that. I ended up using some good-quality 72% dark chocolate. ^Back

Dhingri Mutter (Mushroom and Pea Curry)

In theory this was meant to be "gucchi mutter" (morel and pea curry). However, morels are not native to New Zealand and getting them here is an extremely expensive prospect. I mean, they're expensive anyway. I've just been spoiled by being able to get them for free from my parents in the past. But, given that getting the required quantity of morels would've cost ~$100 here, I decided that maybe it was acceptable to swap them out for a different mushroom in this case. Especially since white mushrooms were on sale for $8/kg this week.

Dhingri Mutter

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2-4 Tbsp. ghee, divided
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 c. slivered almonds
• 3-4 tsp. garlic paste
• 2 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2-3/4 c. water
• 250g mushrooms¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. Kashmiri garam masala
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. frozen green peas
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt 1-2 Tbsp. of the ghee over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, almonds, garlic, and ginger and cook until nuts are browned (~5 minutes).
3. Pour 1/2 c. of water into a blender, add the tomato paste and onion mixture, and purée.
4. If the sauce looks too thick, blend in a few more Tbsp. of water.
5. Melt the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of ghee over medium heat.
6. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook until they release their liquid or morels look slightly shriveled (~5 minutes).
7. Add the sauce, salt, ground chilies, garam masala, and turmeric and stir to combine.
8. Add the peas, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until heated through and flavours blend (10-15 minutes).
9. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

---

¹ If you're going for the authentic gucchi mutter, then you'll want morels, thoroughly washed and cut in half. Otherwise, Iyer suggests sliced porobellos as a tasty (if very different) alternative. I just used white button mushroom, halved, for my curry and, honestly, they were great! ^Back

I have fond memories of Mom making chicken and broccoli casserole when I was a kid. I hadn't had it in years. But found myself suddenly craving it while pregnant, so I asked her for the recipe. Turns out it was chicken divan + rice! She pointed me at a recipe from the Cozy Cook as something that looked pretty close to her version. I tried it out and it was nice, but came out a bit stodgy. I think that was probably down to the rice that I used though. I only had jasmine rice on hand, so I went with that, but I think that basmati would probably give a better result. Or maybe even a long-grain brown rice. I also think that her version went heavier on the broccoli and maybe a bit lighter on the chicken. Not that this version wasn't good, but I did find myself missing the extra broccoli a bit. So I might try adjusting the proportions slightly next time. Otherwise, it was quite nice though.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Adapted from The Cozy Cook

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 750g skinless boneless chicken breasts (or ~3 c. chopped cooked chicken)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 celery stalks, chopped
• 5 c. broccoli florets
• 1 can (~300mL) condensed cream of celery soup
• 2/3 c. sour cream or mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika (optional)
• ~2 c. grated cheddar cheese, divided
• ~2 c. cooked rice
• 1/2 c. crushed Ritz crackers or panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a large casserole dish.
2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
3. Melt 2 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat.
4. Add the chicken, onion, and celery and cook until chicken is about halfway done (~3 minutes).
5. Add the broccoli and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
6. Add the soup, sour cream/mayo, milk, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard, and paprika (if using).
7. Stir in half of the cheese.
8. Spread the rice in an even layer in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish and top with the chicken and broccoli mixture.
9. Top with remaining cheese, cover, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15-20 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat and add the crushed Ritz crackers/breadcrumbs and stir to coat.
11. Remove casserole from oven, increase heat to 200°C (400°F), uncover, and top with buttered crumbs.
12. Return to oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
13. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Today is a day for nostalgia food. And I recently ran across a Pioneer Woman recipe that reminded me of a childhood favourite of mine. Her recipe was a bit more involved than I remember mine being, but it was still clearly in the same genus. I'm pretty sure the version that I grew up with was just ham, cheese, mayo, and pasta (preferably shells). The PW recipe adds mustard, peas, parsley, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, bell pepper, and green onions. I thought the mustardd and peas sounded like excellent additions. The parsley and green onions gave a bit of extra green, so I also tossed them in. And the yogurt was a way to lighten it up a bit, so I decided to use that as well. I decided to leave out the olive oil and honey. But I did like the idea of a bit of extra acidity from the lemon juice, so I put that in too. I think the bell pepper would also be nice. (And possibly something that was also included in my childhood version. I just can't quite remember anymore.) But I left it out since I didn't want to poison Reiver.

Ham and Cheese Pasta Salad

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 450g small shell or macaroni pasta
• 1 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 3/4 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 3 Tbsp. yellow mustard
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 225g mild cheddar, cubed
• 225g ham, cubed
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
• 3-4 green onions, sliced thin

Directions

1. Boil the pasta until al dente, then add peas and boil for 1 minute longer. Drain.
2. Stir together mayo, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, parsley, and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Mix in the pasta and peas, cheese, ham, bell pepper (if using), and green onions.
4. Salad may be served immediately, but is best after it has chilled for several hours.

I've been making a lot of waffles lately. Mostly because they're relatively quick and easy and don't require any advanced planning. I'd like to get better about doing more nutritious breakfasts, but in the meantime... something is better than nothing. These muffins aren't really any better than more waffles, but they are at least a different form factor, so I figured I'd give them a try.

Blueberry Muffins with Almond Streusel

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Topping

• 2 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 c. flour
• 45g sliced almonds

Muffins

• 140g all-purpose flour
• 140g whole wheat flour
• 150g brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 c. blueberries
• 1 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease a muffin tin.
2. Work the butter into the sugar and flour until crumbly, then mix in the almonds. Set aside.
3. Combine the flours and sugar.
4. Sift in the baking powder and baking soda and mix well.
5. Add the blueberries and toss to combine.
6. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
7. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
8. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins and sprinkle with streusel topping.
9. Turn oven down to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 20 minutes.
10. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Short post today because I am typing one-handed while holding a baby.

These were good. Decadent, but nice as a once-in-a-while treat.

Grilled Cheese with Bacon, Tomato, and Egg

From The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients (per sandwich)

• 2 slices of streaky bacon
• 1 large egg
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 slices of bread
• 4-8 thin slices of cheese
• 2-3 slices of tomato
• butter or margerine

Directions

1. Cook bacon until crispy, then cut in half crosswise.
2. Season egg to taste with pepper and fry until whites are set and yolk is thickened.
3. Layer half of the cheese onto a slice of bread.
4. Top with bacon, tomato, egg, the remaining cheese, and the other slice of bread.
5. Butter the outside of the sandwich.
6. Grill in a panini press or a frying pan with a heavy weight compessing the sandwich. If using a frying pan, flip to toast the other side.
8. Once both sides are golden brown, remove from pan and cut in half.

Thenga Paruppu (Coconut Lentils)

I haven't been feeling up to doing much cooking lately and my days have been pretty helter-skelter, so I can't really do much advanced planning either. That makes dals like this ideal for the days that I do manage to get it together enough to cook something.

Thenga Paruppu

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. mung beans (sabud moong/whole green "lentils")
• 3 c. water
• 1-2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 small (400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1-2 fresh green serrano or finger chiles, cut into 5mm slices
• 1 c. shredded fresh coconut (or 1/2 c. dried coconut, reconstituted)

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse the mung beans.
2. Place in pressure cooker with water and pressure cook (on high) for 20 minutes followed by a 15-minute natural pressure release.
3. Meanwhile, heat the ghee over medium heat.
4. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until seeds have stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
5. Add the onion and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
6. Add the ground mustard and fenugreek seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
7. Add the salt, tomatoes, cilantro, turmeric, curry leaves, chiles, and coconut and stir to combine.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until tomatoes are softened (~5 minutes).
9. Once beans are cooked, stir the sauce into the pot and simmer until flavour meld (~10 minutes).

It's been a bit over a month since I made this, so I'm hoping that I can remember all the changes I made. The base recipe was fine, but the flavour was a bit flat, so I did end up tweaking it a bit just to punch things up a notch.

Slow Cooker Bolognese

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1-2 carrots, grated
• 1-2 onions, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 1/2 c. red wine
• 1kg lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 c. whole milk
• 1 large (800mL) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 Parmesan rind (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. dark soy
• 2 tsp. light soy
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add celery, carrots, and onions and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until softened (~10 minutes).
3. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant (3-4 minutes).
4. Add the red wine and cook until mostly evaporated.¹
5. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, cook the ground beef and season with salt and pepper.
6. Stir the milk into the beef and cook until mostly absorbed.
7. Add the beef to the slow cooker along with the tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, pepper flakes, and parmesan rind (if using).
8. Cover and cook on low for 6-12 hours.
9. Taste and add sugar, soy sauces, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar if needed.

¹ If you have an InstantPot, then these steps can be done on the sauté setting. Otherwise, transfer veggie mixture to slow cooker once this step is complete. ^Back

We needed something for dinner tonight and I actually felt up for cooking for once, so I consulted my short list. I wasn't up for a lot of cooking, but I felt I could do something small and simple and this cream sauce recipe fit the bill.

Dumplings in Cream Sauce

Adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 white or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• ~100g ham, chopped
• 2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. milk powder¹
• 1 Tbsp. chicken stock powder
• black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
• 450g frozen dumplings (mini dumplings work especially well)
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 2-3 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Heat the oil and butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add the mushrooms, cover, and cook until they begin to release their liquid.
5. Add the ham and cook until heated through.
6. Add the milk, milk powder, and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
7. Stir in pepper and Parmesan and adjust seasoning to taste.
8. Add the dumplings and peas and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until dumplings are heated through and sauce has reached desired consistency.
10. Stir in green onions and serve topped with additional Parmesan.

---

¹ The original recipe called for cream. We only had milk. So I decided to try to approximate cream by adding some whole milk powder to skim milk. I'm quite pleased with how this worked and would absolutely do it this way again in the future. ^Back

I've made a few different chocolate waffle recipes before, but I hadn't tried this one yet. Honestly, it wasn't even really a recipe. It was just a suggested mix-in for the waffle batters in the Breakfast Bible. In theory, I was meant to add 1/2 c. sweetened cocoa powder to the standard batter and then top the resulting waffles with fresh cherries and cherry syrup. In practice, I have never heard of sweetened cocoa powder and I didn't have any cherries on hand. So, instead of that, I did my best to approximate when it came to the cocoa. And for toppings we tried homemade mandarin marmalade and whipped cream as well as bananas and chocolate sauce (with a little peanut butter on mine as well). Delicious!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Waffles

Adapted from the Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 190g whole wheat flour
• 6 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. Dutched cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 90g salted butter, melted

Directions

1. Combine the flour and sugar.
2. Sift in the cocoa powder and baking powder and mix well.
3. Beat the eggs and vanilla into the milk.
4. Stir in the melted butter.
5. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
6. Allow batter to rest while waffle iron preheats.
7. Scoop a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer directions. Repeat until all batter is used.
8. Serve waffles with your preferred toppings. Fresh berries, whipped cream, bananas, peanut butter, marmalade, and chocolate sauce all work well.

Ann Leckie's latest book Radiant Star features significant mention of a traditional Ooiooiaan foodstuff, peas and pucks -- the "peas" being a small, round, native sea creature and the "pucks" being a sort of circular baked biscuit. And while the recipe is only described in passing in the book, it turns out that nand'Leckie has published a detailed version on her blog using local ingredients, resulting in a sort of fish ball miso soup.

I made it almost to spec. Her recipe calls for wakame; I found dried shredded kelp at the grocery store, and figured that, while non-traditional in miso broth, it might make a better stand-in for skel than wakame. That was alright, but I think next time I'd just go with the wakame as recommended.

The end result is not a favourite for either me or Alex, but it was tasty and reasonably filling. It was also very quick and easy to make, and all of the ingredients are either shelf-stable, frozen, or keep for a very long time in the fridge, making it a good weekday meal. I also think that swapping out the fish balls for something more flavourful (such as fried fish balls or small scallops) or something that absorbs the broth better would improve it, even if that makes it less authentic, and may try that next time.

This recipe writeup uses wakame, and is also scaled up from the blog version by a factor of six, making 5-6 portions.

Peas and Pucks

From Radiant Star by Ann Leckie, via her blog

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp dried wakame
• 6 C water
• 2 tbsp dashida
• 2 tbsp miso paste
• 500g fish balls (fried or seasoned if desired) or (perhaps) scallops
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with just enough water to form a slurry
• pickled red onion slices for garnish
• 1 package refrigerator biscuits, or 10-12 home-made biscuits

Directions

1. Place wakame in a bowl of warm water to reconstitute.
2. Cook biscuits according to package directions.
3. Combine water and dashida in a pot. Bring to a boil.
4. Add miso paste and fish balls and reduce to a simmer.
5. Once fish balls are fully cooked through, stir in corn starch.
6. Remove from heat. Strain and add wakame.
7. Serve beside (or poured over) pucks, and garnished with pickled onion.

Okay, well, technically this one wasn't a true key lime pie since I didn't make it with key limes. I just used the limes off of the tree out front. I'm not entirely sure what variety they are. But the finished pie came out tasting somewhere in between "key lime" and "Persian lime" and I quite liked it!

I found the amount of filling somewhat skimpy on this recipe. That said, it actually works quite well if you're having it without the whipped cream. The filling is quite sharp and sweet, so I think a "properly" filled pie would actually be overwhelming without the whipped cream to cut it. I've doubled the filling recipe below. But if you want to have your pie without the cream, I'd recommend just doing half the amount of filling.

Sadly, I forgot to take a photo. I guess I'll just have to make it again!

Key Lime Pie

Slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 6 Tbsp. salted butter, melted

Filling

• 1 c. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. grated lime zest
• 2 cans (~400mL each) sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large egg yolks

Topping

• 300mL heavy (35%) cream
• 2 Tbsp. icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar.
3. Pour in the butter and mix until evenly dampened.
4. Press mixture into a 23cm (9") pie plate.
5. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
7. Meanwhile, combine lime juice, zest, condensed milk, and egg yolks. Mix well.
8. Pour filling mixture into crust and smooth top.
9. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cover and chill overnight if desired.
11. Once completely cool, whip the cream with the icing sugar until stiff.
12. Top pie with whipped cream, slice, and serve.

Plain Waffles (Waffle Maker Recipe)

It turns out that finding a waffle maker that I actually like in NZ is relatively difficult. Most of them seem to make thin, American-style waffles. Or be vertical waffle makers (which don't really work well if you like to put inclusions in your batter). Or they're underpowered. And so on and so on. And rotating waffle makers? Forget about it!

The best option I'd managed to find in all my searching was a very expensive Breville model. But, aside from being pricey, it was also huge. And it still didn't even rotate. So I couldn't quite bring myself to pull the trigger on it. Luckily, Farmers miraculously started stocking some new waffle irons that actually looked somewhat reasonable. So when one of them went on sale for $40, how could I say no? It was a little less powerful than I'd like and had removeable plates, which I generally feel are more of a hinderance than a help. But... for $40, it seemed worth a shot!

And, I have to say, having tried it... it's not half bad! I do miss the rotation. And I wish it were a little more powerful (1200W doesn't seem to be quite enough for some batters). But, overall, it does alright. Especially for the price!

So, after testing it out on some banana-oat waffles (which came out slightly soggy, but were able to be perked up in the toaster), I decided to give it a go with the basic waffle recipe given in the manual. It's very plain, but tasty nonetheless. And it does cook up much better than the oat waffles did. It's pretty similar to my other basic waffle recipe, but I wanted to include this one as well. Just for the sake of completeness.

Plain Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 c. (~260g) flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. milk, warmed
• 1/3 c. salted butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

Directions

1. Combine the flour and sugar and sift in the baking powder. Mix well.
2. Combine the milk, butter, and vanilla and beat in the eggs.
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. (Some small lumps are okay, but try to avoid any large ones.)
4. Let batter stand while waffle iron preheats.
5. Pour a portion of batter into the waffle iron (mine takes ~1/2 c. per waffle), close lid, and cook until done (~5 minutes on highest setting for me).
6. Remove cooked waffle(s) from machine and repeat process with remaining batter.
7. Top as desired and serve.

I've made a few different feijoa cakes before, but this one is by far the simplest. No other fruits, no icing or garnish, and just a bit of vanilla to flavour it. I really like how it came out though: moist, sweet, tasty, and uncomplicated. And I appreciate that you don't need any special ingredients on hand beyond the feijoas themselves.

Reiver did suggest that a bit of chopped apple might make a nice addition and I think he's right. But it also doesn't need anything else so feel free to enjoy this cake in all of its glorious simplicity.

Feijoa Cake

Slightly adapted from the Versatile Feijoa

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 200g sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4-6 feijoas, scooped and mashed
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c. soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4-1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 23cm (9") square pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Mix in feijoas, apple (if using), and vanilla.
5. Sift in flour and baking powder and mix until combined.
6. Dissolve baking soda in 1/4 c. milk.
7. Mix the milk into the batter.
8. If the batter seems to stiff, mix in the additional 1/4 c. of milk.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
10. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until cake tests done (40-45 minutes).