THURSDAY: Food Memories

Growing up, seafood was a rarity in our house. We lived right inland, over an hour to any beach, Dad wasn't the fishing type and lets face it, feeding seafood to a family of six would be a very expensive exercise! On the rare occassion we were given some fish, I remember Mum making this delicious and simple fish dish, always accompanied by rice. Its probably been 10 years since i've had it and it has stuck in my mind. I've asked Mum for the recipe a few times, but always forgotten to follow her up. Last night, knowing I had fish to cook, but not wanting the frequented potato to accompany, I thought, "stuff the recipe" i'll just work from memory. And so came 'Mums Fish' with rice and salad.




And heres the recipe:

400g terakihi fillets (or other firm fish)
1 red onion, sliced
1 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
juice of 2 lemons
1 cup cream (or evaporated milk with 1 tsp cornflour)
salt & pepper
Cut fish into large chunks and put in a bowl. Add onion, mustard and lemon juice. Mix together well and leave to marinate for about 2 hours.
Heat a little oil in a hot pan and add fish & marinade. Cook for a few minutes, then add the cream. Simmer for 5 minutes or until cream has thickened. Season well and serve on a bed of basmati rice, with salad to accompany.

Have a wicked weekend everyone.
Tamara xx

THURSDAY: Dinner Out of a Packet??

At Moore Wilsons the other day, Shaun came across some packages ready made risottos and soups that looked rather tasty, especially for ready made meals. On the search for tasty lunch ideas that don't involve driving to McDonalds, or consuming curry five times a week, he decided to get one and see how it tasted. So last night we trialled it for dinner. Lemon, Pea & Cream Risotto.

The Results: Damn tasty, actually.



The Brand: Naked Organics. All ingredients 100% Organic and 100% Tasty
Tamara xx

THURSDAY: Organic State

Today I faced the massive task of cleaning and sorting my pantry. With way to many half used packets of thing I forgot that I even had, it was high time that I organised my pantry in a way that I could easily see what was avaliable, and what was running low. It was also the perfect time to ditch those ingredients that had been a sitting for just that bit too long. The task actually turned out to be incredibly fun and I found so many interesting ingredients that will liven up my cooking, now that they are on display every day, but what surprised me the most, was just how many of my ingredients were actually organic. And that got me thinking about the state of organics in NZ. Many people lament that the selection is to small and that the price is way to high, but as far as I can see, these are all just excuses! While we many not have the huge Wild Oats and Wholefoods organic stores of the UK & the US, we actually do have an amazing range of organics avaliable to us. In certain productr ranges, the ammount on offer in organics is often far larger than what you could ever find in a chain supermarket! And as for the price, as of late I have found so many organic products that have prices the same, or often lower, than those items produced in a non-organic way. So for now, i'm sick of hearing people complain that organic is only for the rich! Its not!



My new, amazinly organized, mostly organic pantry!

A few notes:
I based my cupboard reorganize on an article in the July issue of HFG which can be found here.
My Organic shop of choice is Commonsense Organics, which have a number of stores around Wellington, NZ.
The containers I used to sort (other than the few Tupperware pieces) are just the plastic containers your are often given at Chinese and Indian takeaway places. I purchased these in bulk (50 containers for around $8.00) at Moore Wilsons. Alternatively, Gladware, would do well.

So if your cupboard is in dire need of an overhaul, set 1 day aside and you'll find its actually quite fun!
Tamara xx

THURSDAY: A night at the Ballet

I had a lovely night last night, going to see the Ballet (Cinderella) with my Mum who has just got back from Europe. Beforehand we went out for Dinner to Zico, and italian restaurant in Wellington. I had the Quail on Truffled Tagliatelle while Mum had Lamb Cutlets on Parmesan Risotto. Our meals were nice, but nothing to wow about. Maybe we've both just become to fussy after dining with the real Italians in Rome. And also service in NZ in general is shocking compared to what you recieve in Europe, it can really ruin a good night out.

Anyway, apologies are due as I forgot to take my camera with me last night, so alas, no photos.

However to keep you going, here was my simple, yet delish lunch:



Toastie Sandwhich of Semi-dried tomato, courgette, baby spinach, mushroom, pesto & cheese.

And thats it for me,
Tamara xx

THURSDAY: The Healthier Option

Home Made Fish & Chips




Pan fried Hoki Fillet (unfortunately the only thing avaliable at the supermarket yesterday, I would have prefered Terakihi or Snapper), Crispy Baked Chips, a well dressed Salad, served with lemon wedges and aioli (garlic mayo).

I always thought it was terribly French to eat mayo with your chips, but after my recent trip to England, I now realise that it is almost a British Institution.....a scrummy one though.

I find the secret to crispy chips that aren't deep fried, is to par boil them first, rough them up a bit then bake them at a high heat.

Tamara xx

THURSDAY: Bob and Fred

As usual, the last question emailed to me by my lovely fiancee before I left work was "Whats for Dinner (honey)?" My reply quickly sent off before I picked up my bag and walked out the door..... Braised Duck Tagliatelle.

When darling fiancee got home a few hours after me and I set dinner in front of him, he sat there for a few minutes just starring. Then the comment "I can't eat duck, not when we have Bob and Fred sitting out on our front lawn." You see, we have a group of ducks who frequent our neighbourhood and enjoy sitting out on our front lawn (whenever our cats are inside) and we named a pair of them who often come to say hello, Bob and Fred.

However, after a few mouthfuls he declared it delicious, and obviously got over eating duck!

Meltingly tender duck braised in a rich red wine sauce, tossed through fresh pasta and sprinkled with fresh parsley and the 'grand cru' of all cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano.

Eat Well, Drink Well, Live Well.

Tamara xxx