This was a very simple and tasty recipe that I suspect would come together very quickly under normal circumstances. Unfortunately I was not, and also instead of 1kg of large carrots we had 1kg of many extremely small carrots, which made cutting them take a while. Still, everyone liked it and it's a good way to use up a lot of carrots without needing many other ingredients.

Glazed Carrots with Coriander

Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 266)

Ingredients

• 1 kg carrots, peeled and bias-cut into 5mm slices
• 1 tsp whole coriander
• 4 tbsp butter
• juice of ½ lemon
• 3 tbsp honey
• ⅔ C water
• ⅛ tsp peppercorns, ground
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Lightly toast the coriander seeds in a small pan.
2. Let cool, then grind.
3. In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
4. Add the ground toasted coriander and cook until fragrant, ~1 minute.
5. Stir in the water, lemon juice, and honey and cook for another minute.
6. Add the carrots, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat and raise the heat to medium-high.
7. Cook until the carrots are tender and the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze, ~15 minutes. If the carrots are not at the desired tenderness by the time the sauce has reduced, add a bit more water and continue.
8. Remove from heat, stir in the cilantro, and serve.

I don't tend to eat pork very often, but they had packs of boneless pork chops on sale the other day, so I grabbed one on spec. I knew I still had lots of pork recipes waiting to be tried, so it would definitely get used eventually. Then I forgot to cancel or tweak last week's produce basket and we ended up with a surprise leek. And that fit into this braised pork chop recipe very nicely!

The recipe as written calls for port, but I didn't want to go out and get a whole bottle just for the 1/4 c. that I needed for the sauce. So I just added a bit of brown sugar to some red wine and called it a day. (I probably should have gotten the port, since I have other recipes that call for it and I'm sure it would've gotten used up eventually, but I was running short on time and just went with the substitute this time around.)

Braised Pork Chops with Cherries and Leeks

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1kg pork chops (pref. bone-in)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1/2 Tbsp. dried rosemary, ground)
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 2 leeks, white parts only, halved and sliced
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1/4 c. port
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 c. fresh pitted cherries, halved (or 1/2 c. dried cherries)
• 1-2 tsp. cornstarch (optional)

Directions

1. Season the pork chops with salt, pepper, and rosemary.
2. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat.
3. Add the pork chops and sear on both sides.
4. Remove from pan and set aside.
5. Melt the remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat.
6. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
7. Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan.
8. Add the port, vinegar, and cherries.
9. Return the pork to the pan. Nestle it into the sauce and spoon the leeks and cherries over.
10. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.
11. Simmer until pork is cooked through (15-20 minutes).
12. If you would like a thicker sauce: remove the pork from the pan and sift some cornstarch into the sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened.
13. Serve the pork chops topped with the sauce. Goes well with mashed root vegetables.

This was a big hit with TF. The Kidlet and I also liked it, but TF was especially enamored of it. Even though I wasn't able to get the proper boneless lamb shoulder and ended up using some discount loin chops instead. I think the only change I'd make in the future would be to double the olives (and maybe add a bit more preserved lemon).

Lamb Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemon

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp. saffron threads
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1kg boneless lamb shoulder, cubed
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 12-24 pitted green olives
• 1 preserved lemon, flesh discarded and peel minced
• 1-2 Tbsp. chickpea flour (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat the chicken stock until steaming.
2. Stir in the saffron and set aside to steep.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat (preferably in a tagine).
4. Season the lamb with the salt and pepper.
5. Add the lamb to the tagine and sear on all sides.
6. Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside.
7. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil to the tagine.
8. Add the onion and cook until softened (5-10 minutes).
9. Add the ginger, paprika, cumin, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Return the lamb to the tagine.
11. Add the bay leaf and the stock and bring to a boil.
12. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 90 minutes.
13. Transfer lamb to a serving platter.
14. Increase heat to medium and stir in olives, preserved lemon, and chickpea flour (if using).
15. Cook until sauce thickens slightly.
16. Pour sauce over lamb, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Banana Bread (Breakfast Bible Version)

I already have quite a few banana bread recipes. That said, just because I have a bunch of good ones already, doesn't mean I'm not interested in trying even more!

Today was my first day in New Zealand. (I mean, not actually today-today. Not June 28th when this recipe is posted, but December 30th when I'm actually writing from.) I arrived in Hamilton yesterday and today was my first full day here. I woke up good and early due to the time change and decided that it would be nice to make use of the time and make something tasty for breakfast for everyone else to wake up to. That said, being my first day here, I hadn't had a chance to do a grocery shop yet or get a good handle on what was in the kitchen. But I knew that there were a bunch of bananas, eggs, sugar, and flour, so I figured that was a pretty good start.

I did end up making a few tweaks to the recipe. All-purpose flour isn't really a thing here, so I used a mix of "high grade" (hard) and "standard" (soft) flour. There wasn't any plain yogurt, just manuka honey yogurt, so I rolled with that but then halved the sugar. The bananas and eggs were both on the small side, so I threw an extra of each in. And since unsalted butter doesn't really seem to be a thing here, so I just used the salted and then omitted the salt from the recipe. I also ended up swapping out the walnuts for a mix of chocolate chips and sunflower seeds, since there didn't appear to be any walnuts in the pantry. And, as it turns out, that worked out quite well since Reiver doesn't really care for walnuts in his banana bread¹ and ended up quite liking the sunflower seeds.

Banana Bread

Adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour²
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 large (or 3 medium) eggs
• 1/3 c. manuka honey Greek yogurt³
• 1/2 c. salted butter⁴, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips and/or chopped walnuts
• 2-3 Tbsp. sunflower seeds (or more walnuts)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 23x13cm (9x5") loaf pan.
2. Combine the flour and sugar, sift in the baking soda, and mix well.
3. Mash the bananas.
4. Beat the eggs into the bananas and stir in the yogurt, butter, and vanilla.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips and/or walnuts.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle with the sunflower seeds.
7. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~1 hour.
8. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
9. Turn out of tin and allow to finish cooling on the cooling rack.

---

¹ Although I did later find out that apparently part of the reason he preferred the sunflower seeds was that they are smaller than walnuts. Which initially confused me since I usually chop my walnuts to about the same size as sunflower seeds or chocolate chips. But apparently that's not the norm here and people typically just toss whole walnut halves into their baked goods! (New Zealand is a strange place.) ^Back
2 I used 2 c. of hard flour and 1/4 c. of soft flour for mine. ^Back
3 I also think that plain yogurt, either Greek or not, would probably work fine here. Your bread will be a little less sweet if you're using plain yogurt, but I still think that it would be sweet enough. And, if you find it's not, you can always add a bit more sugar. ^Back
4 Or unsalted butter + 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt. ^Back

The searing on this recipe didn't quite work as I had hoped. The broccoli was a bit too wet to sear properly. But it was good otherwise. And I appreciate the simplicity: just broccoli, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and a bit of olive oil.

Pan-Seared Broccoli

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 680g broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Get a bowl of ice water ready.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
3. Add the broccoli and blanch for 30 seconds.
4. Drain and trasfer to the ice bath.
5. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add the broccoli and cook for a minute or so until it gets a bit of colour on it.
7. Flip/stir and cook for another minute or so.
8. Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with lemon juice, and serve.

Soufflé Omelette (Breakfast Bible Version)

I've made soufflé omelettes before. This one takes a slightly simpler approach than the previous one that I tried. For this one, you simply separate your eggs, add a little salt and pepper to the yolks, beat the whites, and then fold them into the yolks. The omelette is topped with soft goat cheese and fresh chives and baked. It doesn't get folded or filled with anything more than that.

It was nice. I appreciate the ease of preparation. And the flavour was fine. Personally, I think it could've done with a bit more cheese. And I do think some mushrooms or other toppings would have been nice. It doesn't need them, but I do think they would have added to the experience. Still, this is nice if you just want a quick and simple fluffy omelette.

Soufflé Omelette

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 60-70g fresh goat cheese (chère), crumbled
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease an oven-proof frying pan.
2. Combine the egg yolks, salt, and pepper and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
4. Mix ~1/4 of the egg whites into the yolks to loosen them.
5. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in until just combined.
6. Pour the eggs into the prepared pan.
7. Sprinkle with goat cheese and chives and bake until just set (10-15 minutes).

We ate all the kachoris that I made to go with the salad last night, but we still had lots of salad left, so I wanted to make a simple curry to go with it. One that wouldn't require a trip to the grocery store.

I'd always sort of glossed over this recipe because the idea of making the dhoklis (basically a spicy, wheat-based Indian gnocchi) sounded too labour-intensive to me. But the curry looked very simple otherwise, and it didn't look that difficult to make the little dumplings, so I decided to give it a go.

TF and I both really liked this. The Kidlet wasn't a fan of the dhoklis, but seemed to like the dal part of the curry well enough. That said, I do think I would make some changes next time.

The recipe as written only called for 1/2 c. of pigeon peas for 4 c. of water. This makes a very thin, soupy dal. Which is fine, but I think I would've preferred a thicker, more substantial base. So I think I'd try doubling the pigeon peas next time.

I also had some trouble with the dhokli dough. It called for 1/2 c. of roti flour, 2 Tbsp. oil, and "enough hot water to form a dough", which Iyer said should take ~1/4 c. However, 2 Tbsp. of oil was enough to completely soak and saturate the dough and then I could barely get more than 1 Tbsp. of water in before the dough started getting way too wet. It felt very greasy and was difficult to shape. To the point where I suspect there may be a typo in the recipe. Maybe it was supposed to be 2 tsp. of oil? Or 1 c. of flour, rather than 1/2 c.? I think I might try doubling the dhokli recipe next time, but halving the oil. Hopefully that would make the dumplings a bit less greasy. And it would give even more dhoklis in the finished dish which, I have to say, I wouldn't mind.

Again, not that it was bad like this. I just think it could've been even better!

Dal Dhoklis

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Dhoklis

• 1 c. roti (atta) flour
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. bishop's weed (ajwain)
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• ~1/4 c. hot water

Dal

• 1 c. split skinned pigeon peas
• 4 c. water
• 1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 fresh green Thai chilies, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1/4 tsp. ground asafetida
• 8 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the pigeon peas for the dal very well.
2. Add the peas and the water to a pressure cooker/InstantPot and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes, followed by a 15-minute natural release.
3. Meanwhile, combine the flour, sea salt, sugar, chilies, turmeric, and bishop's weed and mix well.
4. Add the cilantro and oil and mix very well.
5. Drizzle in the hot water until a stiff dough forms.
6. Divide the dough into two equal portions.
7. Roll each portion into a 30cm (12") long rope/log.
8. Cut each rope into 48 equal pieces (96 pieces total).
9. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then press it with your thumb to make a depression in the centre. Set aside.
10. Once the pigeon peas are cooked, give them a stir. If they are not breaking down on their own, use a blender (immersion blenders work well for this) to purée until smooth.
11. Stir in the dhania-jeera masala, salt, turmeric, and chilies.
12. Add the dhoklis and stir to prevent them from sticking to each other.
13. Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes.
14. Meanwhile, melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
15. Add the mustard seeds to the ghee, cover, and cook until they stop popping (30-60 seconds).
16. Remove from heat; add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, and curry leaves; and mix well.
17. Add the ghee mixture to the dal.
18. Stir in the tomato and cilantro and serve.