New Zealand Happenings

Meet Tripod, he is one of my parents lambs and while we were in New Zealand we had to nurse him back to health, well his leg any way.
He had developed a severe infection in is front knee joint which we believe was bacterial arthritis. The poor little guy had to have 2 weeks of antibiotics injections, daily wound flushing and redressing.  Luck I am not squeamish as the infection was pretty nasty.  We did talk about sending him to lamby heaven but he was healthy in all other ways and such a character that no one had the heart.  When we first started caring for him he was slow and easy to catch but by the time our trip was coming to an end he was getting around as quick as all the other 4 legged lambs

The infection in his leg has gone but he will never be able to use the leg as the joint is seized and the leg has atrophied.  But he is quite ok getting around on just 3 legs hence his name 'Tripod'.

We harvested some New Zealand flax (herekeke) from mum and Dads garden to add to our property.  It is a tall growing variety that gets to over 2 meters tall, has amazing bird attracting flower spikes and grows into a thick dense hedge.

We planted it just outside our boundary fence under power lines so although it is not super tall it is perfect for that location.  It is had to tell from the photo below but there is about 4 metres from where Hubby is standing in the drain to our fence.

We cleared back the grass and then got planting.

An to all my Aussie followers I am sorry but I have to show you our soil.   It is dark and rich and full of worms.  On top of that there is about a foot of topsoil.  Is there such a thing as soil love?
Our soil inside our boundary is not quite as good as it has been cropped in the past but this gives us an idea of how good it will be once we show it some love.

The corner is now all planted out and all we have to do is wait for the flax to grow which will not take too long.  We have cut it right back for transplanting but I expect that it will be getting up to full height within 12 months and starting to fill out.

More from our trip will follow including what for us are exciting steps forward.

Back From New Zealand

Wow long time to post!

Sorry folks life got really busy.  I had intended to post more over the past month but life just got in the way.  There was friends, family and life to experience, university work to do plus a computer crash or 2 (grrrrrr).

But all is now well and we are cracking on with life.

I am hoping to catch up on some blog reading this week but with an exam looming I am not sure it will actually happen - oh well I can dream.

How about you what's new in your world?

Beef Madras

This is a lovely mild curry and if you can get fresh coconut it is even better but I like to use the moist coconut flakes soaked in water.
I use blade steak for this recipe but any cut of stewing steak will be good.  It needs to be a cut that has a bit of fat and connective tissue so that when it is cooked low and slow they melt and keep the meat soft and juicy.

Blade steak comes from the top of the shoulder of a cow.  It is a muscle that does a lot of work and has a lot of connective tissues and collagen that melt out during cooking but it needs to be cooked long and slow to ensure the meat ends up tender.  

A whole blade

The blade sliced so you can see the connective tissue through the muscle.

Beef Madras

1 Cup of Grated Coconut
400 gm Dice tomatoes (tinned or fresh)
4 Tbs Fresh Ginger finely Diced
2 Tsp Blacked Mustard Seeds
2 Tbs Tamarind Concentrate
2 x 2 Tbs Oil
2 Large Onions, sliced
6 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Tbs Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Turmeric
2 Tsp Ground Coriander
1 Tsp Chilli Powder
2 Tsp Sweet Paprika
10 Curry Leaves
1 Kg of Chuck Steak
1/2 Cup of Water
3 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Sugar

If you are using dried/semi dried coconut soak it in 1 cup of boiling water for 1 hour then blend it (including the water) in the food processor with the tomatoes, ginger, mustard seeds and tamarind until it is a puree.
Heat the first measure of oil in a heavy based pan and brown the meat in batches removing after each batch.  Once all the meat is browned add the second measure of oil and cook the onion and a pinch of salt over a medium heat stirring regularly until the onion is soft and lightly browned.  Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute before adding all of the spices and stir for a further minute before adding the coconut mixture, curry leaves, beef and water.  Cover and simmer for 1.5 - 2 hours or until beef is tender.

An Indian Feast

We are heading off to New Zealand tomorrow for just over 3 weeks and when we get back we expect to be busy getting ready to move and I have a lot of university work and exams.  So we decided to catch up with some friends before we left for an Indian feast.  This made it easy to cater for the vegan and the carnivores alike.

On the menu was Dahl (I make this in a big batch and keep portions in the freezer so we can have it when ever we want or add it to other Indian dishes for variety), Beef Madras, Kasmiri Chicken (made earlier this week), Punjabi Cabbage, Shebu Bhaji (Potatoes with Dill) and Gajar Matar (Sweet Potatoes with Peas).  These are all dishes that I would recommend and most of them are mild and can have the chilli left out altogether if needed.  I have listed the recipes for the vegan dishes below and will post the Beef Madras Tomorrow

Clockwise from left: Punjabi Cabbage, Beef Madras, Shebu Bhaji, Gajar Matar

 Gajar Matar

1 Onion
1 Clove of Garlic
1 x 3 cm piece of Ginger
1/4 Cup Oil
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
1 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
400 gm Carrots (I used Sweet Potato this time as I needed to use them up before going away)
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1 Cup Frozen Peas
3 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Chilli Powder
4 Tsp Dried Pomegranate Seeds (optional but so worth it)
1/2 Tsp Garam Masala

Make a paste with the onion, ginger and garlic in either a food processor, a mortar and pestle or chop very finely.
Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large fry pan, add the onion mix and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Reduce the heat slightly and add the cumin seeds and turmeric then stir well to combine and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the carrot/sweet potato and stir for 2 mins before adding the ground cumin, coriander, and garam masala stirring for another minute.
Add the peas, pomegranate seeds and 1/4 cup of water and stir to combine before covering the pan, reducing to a low heat and simmering for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Punjabi Cabbage

1 Onion
1 Clove of Garlic
2 Green Chillis, de-seeded
4 Tbs Oil
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tsp Turmeric
500 gm Cabbage, finely chopped
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
1/4 Tsp Ground Chilli (optional)
1 Tbs Butter (Optiona)

Make a paste with the onion, chillies and garlic in either a food processor, a mortar and pestle or chop very finely.
In a heavy based pan add the oil and over a low heat fry the onion mix until very soft.  Add the cumin seeds and turmeric and cook for 1 minute.  Mix in the cabbage and stir well until the cabage has been coated in the onion paste.  Add the remaining ingredients except the butter, stir well and increase the heat to medium.  Cover partially and cook for 10 minutes stirring every few minutes until the cabbage is soft.  If the cabbage dries out and starts to stick to the pan add a few tablespoons of water. Once cooked stir in the butter and serve.

Shebu Bhaji

200 gm potatoes
Large bunch of Dill
2 Tbs Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 Long Red Chilli
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Black Mustard Seeds
Pinch of Asafoetida (Optional)
1/2 Tsp Salt

Cut the potatoes into 2.5cm cubes and cook until almost cooked and drain well.
Wash the dill and chop finely.

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic and chilli over  low heat for 30 seconds then add the turmeric, mustard seeds, asafoetida, salt and stir well. Stir in the cooked potato and dill and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes and serve.

Do you have a favourite Indian Recipe? 

The Weekend Kitchen

This weekend saw quite a bit of action in the kitchen with preserving, baking and meal planning in action.
Our little lemon tree was loaded with lemons this year and I have made some preserved lemons and used lots in baking but there were still heaps on the tree so I picked a bucket full to make some cordial which barely made a dent.

I also made a couple of date loaves one for this week and one for the freezer.  We are heading off to New Zealand for most of September, and October looks like being a very busy month for us, so I have also been stocking the freezer with meals and baking ready to just heat and eat.

Saturday night I made dahl and kashmiri chicken curry (recipe later this week) and I had 3 portions of each for the freezer after dinner.  I now have 2 weeks worth of meals ready to call on when we get back from New Zealand.

Even after making 3 x 750 ml lemon cordial concentrate (recipe below) I still have heaps of lemons left so now I have to come up with another plan.  I think I might just throw them in a bag and freeze them.  The juice will be fine once defrosted but I am not sure about the rind.

Lemon Cordial

This recipe is very tart which is how I like it but you might want to cut back on the acids

9 Large Lemons

3 Cups Sugar

9 Cups Boiling Water

6 Tsp Tartaric Acid

6 Tsp Citric Acid

6 Tsp Epsom Salt

Zest and then juice all off your lemons into a stock pot,  Add all of you other ingredients and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Bottle in sterilised bottles and store in a dark cupboard.

How was your weekend?