A couple of weeks ago I went to the markets with friend Mellie, half of Tummyrumbles. We spied “tamed nettles” lovingly picked off their stems and bagged for us by one of the stall holder’s sons as his “pin money” job.  I quietly suggested that nettle gnocchi may have to be in order to Mellie.  I’ve seen her gnocchi posts, and was hoping she’d pick up the hint (and some nettles!).  She did, and she bought nettles and invited me over to dinner.  To complete the trifecta, she has now also graciously passed on the recipe, in the form of a guest post.  Thanks for the gnocchi Mellie!  Enjoy the post everyone.

++++++++++++++

Part of what I did with my market haul this weekend.

2 – 3 chicken frames (carcasses)

2 – 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

2 medium brown onions peeled and sliced roughly

2  carrots chopped roughly

2 sticks of celery chopped roughly

1 piece of lemon zest

2 – 3 bay leaves

parsley stalks

6 peppercorns

Place everything in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring gently to a simmer, skimming the surface of the stock regularly.  Leave at a gentle simmer for 3 hours or so.  Strain and discard all solids.  Cool stock and refrigerate.  Remove any fat that has risen. Freeze in 1 cup portions.

If you want a richer, darker stock, roast frames and bones for 20 mins or so at 180 degrees before making stock.

Chestnut and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

(serves 4 for entree)

400 grams cooked and peeled chestnuts

200 grams jerusalem artichokes roasted for about 20mins in duck or pork fat until soft

200 grams shallots, finely diced

2 garlic gloves finely sliced

Thyme sprigs

Bay leaves

60ml brandy

Water

Milk

Seasoning

Pancetta or good quality bacon

The main ingredients

In a medium size saucepan melt a knob of butter and add some olive oil.  Add the shallots and fry until translucent, add garlic and cook for a few minutes.

Add jerusalem artichokes and chestnuts (reserve 3 chestnuts for garnish) and stir well.  Add 1 – 2 bay leaves, a sprig of thyme, 60 ml Brandy and water to just cover.  Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, covered until everything is soft (45 – 60 mins)

Not the most attractive soup

Use a hand blender or a Mouli to puree the soup.  I used a Mouli as Iknew I’d left quite a few of the inner shells on the chestnuts and the Mouli would separate these our for me.  Pass the puree through a sieve into the rinsed pan and warm through before tasting and adjusting seasoning.  Add up to 1/2 cup of milk or cream to thin the soup to the preferred consistency.

Delicious garnishes

Take 12 thing slices of pancetta  about 10 cm long and fry gently in a small frypan to render the fat and crisp the pancetta.

Remove and drain well.  Fry thin slices of the reserved chestnuts for a few minutes until they are crispy.  Remove and drain.

Serve with a few bits of pancetta, some chestnuts and a sprig on thyme as garnish.

Matt says ” I add the roasted Jerusalem Artichokes to give a little more earthiness to the soup. Try Cheesenutz in Northern Victoria for ready peeled chestnuts”

It’s a delicious soup and it’s a great tip – I really don’t love peeling chestnuts.  Unfortunately they are all sold out this year.

A few weeks ago we got together for a feast of Momofuku themed dinner party.  Master baker Anne brought along some “Compost Cookies” from David Chang’s Milk Bar restaurant.   They were chewy and crunchie and salty and sweet and very very moorish.  I was stuffed full of pork, and there was “Crack Pie” to follow, but I couldn’t resist the cookies.

A bit of research under my belt, and a takeaway cup full of used coffee grounds from my favourite cafe to hand, I set about to bake some delicious treats.

I have adapted the recipe given by creator Christine Tosi on American TV recently.

It seems that most bloggers have omitted the used coffee grounds from the recipe, and so did Christina Tosi in the version of the recipe posted online.  I know it’s not unusual for published chef recipes of to omit something small from a recipe that will affect the flavour profile; but leaving out something so well know seems really strange.  Perhaps I’m just plain adventurous, but I think it makes a small but significant difference to the flavour.

I took them to work and bribed the boss, and a whole bunch of  the blokes in the office.  Even got my favourite barista on-side (compensation for providing the used coffee grounds).  I was upfront about the ingredients, and no-one thought they would be disgusting.  So perhaps my office is full of adventurous people too?  I do think they are a “blokey” biscuit, the savoury, crunchy flavour suits the men-folk.  I didn’t like my version as much as I liked Anne’s, I think I will try a different mix of “bits” next time.

So .. here’s the recipe.

Cream together:

225g (1 cup) butter

220 (1 cup) grams granulated (white) sugar

160 g (¾ cup) demerera sugar  (or light brown sugar – see note below)

1 tablespoon corn syrup

(I used the Kitchenaid, with the paddle attachment, cream for about 3 mins)

Add 2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

2 tablespoons of used coffee grounds

Mix on slow/medium until combined, then increase speed and beat for 10 mins.  Mic will be white and smooth and very airy.

Meanwhile..

Sift together the dry ingredients.

260 g (1¾ cups) plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons salt

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold through the dry ingredients.  You don’t want to overmix it.

Now for the fun!

Add 1½ cups cut,crushed or crumbled “sweet things”

AND 1½ cups cut, crushed or crumbled “savoury things”

I used Twix Pods and Peanut M&Ms for sweet, Pretzels, Doritos and Clix crackers for savoury.

Using a small icecream scoop (about 3cm across), or a teaspoon to divide into small mounds.

Pop these into the fridge for 30 mins, and leave them there while you preheat the oven to 190º

Place cookie “mounds” widely spaced on a silicon paper lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 15 mins. These will spread a lot so leave lots of space.

Bake for 9 mins, until bubbly and spread to about 7cm diamieter and lightly golden brown.

Leave them to cool for 2 – 3 mins before carefully transferring to a wire rack.  They will be quite soft for a while.

Makes about 60 cookies.

So, next time, I will add chocolate bits, and NOT coloured M&Ms, possibly a few bits of oat, and salty chips instead of the crackers.

The recipes I looked at called for Light Brown Sugar, but I only had dark, and had a packet of Demerera, so I substituted.   I think the light brown would be better.

I would love to hunt out butterscotch chips as well, so if you know where to get some, please let me know.

The coffee is definitely a must! It adds a base note to the flavour and a very subtle coffee aroma.

This delicious torte is actually pretty easy to make, and works well with frozen or preserved cherries, but it perhaps best in the middle of cherry season.  What I really like about this recipe is that it uses many of the same ingredients as macarons, so when I’ve had a frustrating day baking them badly, I whip this up to build my self confidence again.

I’ve adapted this from a Saturday Age recipe – I think it was a Karen Martini one.

Ingredients

180 g salted butter

1 vanilla bean

5 egg whites

pinch salt

340 g pure icing sugar, sifted (extra for dusting)

110g plain flour

100g ground almonds

1 x 5ml teaspoon almond essence (bitter almond is very good!)

40g flaked almonds

300g cherries, pitted and halved

Creme fraiche to serve.

Preheat oven to 180°C  (or 160°C fan-forced). Grease a 24cm x 5cm fluted tart tin with a loose base (or line with silicon paper and spray with cooking spray).

Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape the beans out and place in a small saucepan.  Finely slice the vanilla bean and also add to the small saucepan. Melt butter in the saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 4 -5 mins until the mixture turns dark and smells nutty.

Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature. Remove some of the vanilla slivers and reserve for garnish.

Whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form.  Add half icing sugar and combine, then fold in the remaining sugar, flour and ground almonds.  Be gentle, but not wimpy (and don’t bother looking for le macaronnage thankfully that’s not necessary for this recipe).

Stir through the burnt vanilla butter and almond essence. Pour mixture into the tin and place cherries on top, scatter with almond flakes, reserve a few cherries for garnish if you wish.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the tart is puffed and just set. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

Dust with icing sugar and garnish with a few cherries and vanilla slivers.  Serve with Creme Fraiche.

But this weekend, I have a 6 day break from work, and due to Melbourne Gastronome’s review, a hankering to try the pork bun recipe.

So this is what they are supposed to look like according to the foodstyled book.

And this is what they did look like, according to some food savvy bloggers who styled them quite beautifully at a potluck dinner on Saturday night.   (Thanks for the photo Claire)

The recipes is based on the one in David Chang’s book, but I have made some adjustments for Australian measurements, my preferred methods and tinkered with the pork flavour to suit my palate a bit better. A standard Australian tablespoon is 20ml. A US one is 15ml.

Steamed buns
1 x 20ml Tablespoon dried yeast
1.5 cups water (37° Celcius)

Warm bowl of mixer with dough hook fitted by filling with warm tap water and leaving to sit while you measure the water for the dough. Empty bowl, fit to the mixer, pour in water and add yeast. Stir slowly with dough hook until dissolved.

Add
4½ x 20ml tablespoons of sugar
2½ x 20ml spoons of skim milk powder
¾ x 20ml tablespoon of salt
1 x 5 ml teaspoon (Rounded) of baking powder
1 x 5 ml teaspoon of baking soda

Stir slowly with dough hook to combine.

Add 4½ cups plain or bread flour and
drop 3 x 20ml tablespoons of lard (or vegetable shortening if you must) on top.

Turn on to low setting and knead for 8 – 10 mins until it forms a soft, but not sticky ball.

Put into a lightly oiled bowl and sit in a warm place until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and turn it out on to a board. Cut into half, and then each half into four pieces. Slightly roll each piece and cut in 25g pieces. (recipe made 48 for me). Cover with cling film and leave for 30 mins.

Cut pieces of baking parchment (silicon paper or Glad Bake), one for each piece approx 10cm x 10cm

Flatten a ball and roll it out to an oval about 10cm long using a small rolling pin or piece of dowel (I used a bottle of rosewater). Fold over in half, place on a piece of parchment and let sit for another 30 – 45mins.

Now steam in batches for 10 mins until they are puffed and glossy – don’t crowd the steamer.

Remove parchment and allow to cool. Wrap back in parchment and stack in an airtight container and place in fridge if you’re not using them straight away. or double wrap in freezer wrap to freeze.

Pork

1.5 kg slab skinless pork belly
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup salt
½ x 5ml teaspoon five spice powder
2 x 20ml tablespoon rice (or sherry) vinegar

Mix salt, sugar and five spice in a small bowl.
Trim pork belly and remove any ribs that are still attached
Rub belly with salt mix and place in small roasting pan, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but no more than 24.

Heat oven to 230°C Conventional (210°C Fan-forced). Uncover pork and discard any liquid that has collected. Cook belly fat side up for 1 hour, basting with rendered fat halfway. Turn oven down to 120°C Conventional (110°C Fan-forced), baste pork with vinegar and cook for further hour to hour and a half until pork is soft and tender to touch, but not falling apart. Baste as often as you like during this time.

Allow pork to cool, when cool enough to handle, wrap in foil and put in the fridge until it’s thoroughly cooled. This makes it easier to cut. Cut into 1 cm slices that are about 5 cm long.

Reheat to serve (I used a microwave, or you can use a frypan)

To serve

Thinly sliced cucumber, mixed with salt sugar and vinegar for 5 – 10 mins to lightly pickle
Thinly sliced spring onions
Hoisin Sauce

Steam buns, tear open, spread with sauce, add greens and pork.

I adapted this recipe from an episode of “The Best in Australia” that I caught the other night, Best Vegetarian Dinner.

6 or 8 roma tomatoes, halved, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 – 3 red onions peeled, quartered
2 tablespoons sugar
Balsamic vinegar (or use vin cotto and leave out sugar)
1 x 440g can chick peas
bunch of coriander
Persian Feta

Oil a roasting dish and add tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with sugar Roast for 1.5 hours on 120 degrees centigrade.
Stir through the drained and rinsed chick peas and pop back in the oven for a few minutes.
Roughly chop coriander and stir through the tomato and onion mix and add balsamic to taste.
Sprinkle on a tablespoon or two of feta.
Serve warm with dressing

Dressing:
200ml plain yogurt (goat or sheep’s milk is great)
mustard seeds
cumin

Toast mustard and cumin seeds in a dry frypan
Crush and stir through yogurt with salt and pepper to taste.
Let sit at least 30 mins before serving.

On The Best – the served this on top of dukka crusted eggplant slices. Meh to the eggplant.

Feels like Lamb Shank night, and it was. Some lovely (but my aren’t they expensive now!) lamb shanks, two onions, half a bottle of decent cab and water to simmer with a muslin bag including tangerine peel, peppercorns, juniper berries, a cinnamon stick and three bay leaves. After an hour I tipped in a tin of tomatoes and a tin of chickpeas. 30 more mins then I added two chopped carrots, 3 sticks celery (chopped) and a diced onion.

30 more mins and a gentle simmer then test for thickness (add a bit of flour mixed with water to thicken if desired) and seasoning. I take the bones out and shred the meat and return them to the stew. Cook some parsnips in cream, pepper and water then puree them. Serve! Delish!

We followed with Lemon Delicious pudding actually.

Let’s avoid the sobriety (of watching fireworks in town with families and NO alcohol – blerg) and the transport troubles of going somewhere for a meal / drink.  Lets cook something wonderful and open a darn nice bottle of wine.

So we did.  We opened two in fact.  Starting with a Coldstream Hills Vintage Bubbles – we made bellini’s with beautiful ripe white peaches.  Very nice, but if someone can tell me the trick of pouring them I will be ever so grateful.  Lots of bubble and froth and mess.  But sooooooo yummy!  we kept half for midnight toasting.

The we roasted some confit duck, and cooked some puy lentils in duck stock, carrots, onion, bay leaf and orange.  I had macerated some fresh cherries in red wine, orange rind and star anise and poured them over the duck for the last 5 mins of cooking.

It was delicious and we drank it with a 2004 Curly Flat Pinot Noir – which is coming along nicely, but still needs more time in the cellar.