Wellington on a Plate!

We are amidst the second annual Wellington on a Plate festival which runs from 14 August through to 29 August.  The festival is a joint venture between Positively Wellington Tourism and Grow Wellington and was set up to showcase regional food and beverage products.  There are a multitude of events to attend and restaurants to visit.  With pop-up restaurants, wine classes, a beer festival, degustations and even speed dating - it's going to be an action packed fortnight!

The most accessible event is Dine Wellington in which participating restaurants and cafes offer lunch and dinner deals over the two week festival period.  The most common deal includes a set menu priced at $25 or $35 often with a glass of wine thrown in or tea/coffee, with a few variations on that theme such as a free desert or 20% discount.

Unfortunately, time and the ever elusive moolah will limit my participation to just a few events, but I can't wait!

Watch this space...

Rick Stein!

Last Saturday a friend and I flocked to see Rick Stein live, along with hundreds of other Wellingtonians.  I was surprised to look around and note that we were perhaps 20yrs younger than the median age of Rick Stein groupies; I'm not sure why this surprised me as surely Rick, being as polite and gentlemanly as he is, appeals to an age-group who may find Gordon Ramsay, for example, a tiny bit crass or, common (as my mother would say!).

I wouldn't say that I learned anything new about food or cooking but the show was very entertaining.  I had tears in my eyes from laughing at some of the clips they played on the big screen - particularly the Chalky scenes!  But I am bias when it comes to cute dog stuff!  It was however, very interesting to hear about Rick's life.  I never realised he wasn't a classically trained chef - which gives me hope for some sort life in the food industry, after all anything is possible.

Another highlight of the evening was going to Capitol restaurant for dinner before the show.  What a revelation!  I had been to Capital before for brunch/coffee but never for dinner and I was extremely impressed with the quality of the menu, the wine list and, of course, the food!  Unfortunately, due to rushing off to see Rick, we could only enjoy one course in the beautifully ambient space, but every mouthful was bliss.

I had the baked lamb rack with wet polenta and broad beans.  The lamb was perfectly pink and juicy and the broad beans sweet and delicious.  The whole ensemble was brought to life with the most distinct jus I have ever tasted!  The jus was unpretentious and simply tasted of lamb, which was fantastic - why mess with perfection?!  Also, very apt given that we were off to see a chef who has previously criticised what he calls 'cheffy food'.

The meal was very reasonably priced and I can't wait to head back to Capitol for a more extensive sample of the menu!

Sunday Roast

The great Sunday roast is infinitely more appealing in the dead of winter when the body is craving comfort food and a spot of hibernation.

The latest Dish magazine came out last week and there are things on every page that I'm dying to make (Read: EAT) but what most grabbed the attention of my beady little eyes was the spatchcock Roasted Basil and Lemon Chicken with Jerusalem Artichokes.  Everything about the picture appealed to me (cause it's all about the food porn), the chicken looked crispy yet juicy and oh so flavoursome (seriously, it's a great picture!  My mouth is watering again as I look at it!) and the artichokes are all caramelised and moreish.

So I gave it a whirl.

Not quite magazine perfect but not too shabby!

I'd never before attempted to spatchcock a chicken before and was surprised at how easy it was (also very proud of the new skill in my arsenal).  The chicken was as succulent and tasty as the picture promised although the basil flavour didn't really come through at all - possibly due to the out-of-season supermarket basil.  I was lucky enough to have been given some Jerusalem Artichokes by a friend a few weeks ago and they were absolutely divine!  JA would have to be one of my favourite veges, however can only be enjoyed in the comfort of my own home as they have a rather adverse effect on my digestive system... 

Along with the artichokes I roasted a few baby carrots and beetroot from our garden.

Roasted Basil and Lemon Chicken with Jerusalem Artichokes
Adapted From Dish Magazine Issue 31, p106

1 free-range corn-fed chicken                                              
100g cream cheese at room temperature                            
2 clove garlic                                                                       
finely grated zest 1 lemon                                                     
2 spring onions                                                                    
1/4 c finely chopped basil                                                     
salt and pepper

To Cook
olive oil
1 lemon, thinly sliced
sweet spanish smoked paprika
salt & pepper
jerusalem artichokes/baby roasting veges

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Combine the cream cheese, garlic, lemon zest, spring onions and basil in a bowl and season.

To prepare the chicken follow this link.  Using your fingers gently ease the skin away from the flesh and spread the cream cheese mixture under it.

To cook: Brush both sides of the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Lay the lemon slices over the skin, brush with more olive oil and dust with paprika.  Place on roasting dish.

Clean vegetables, toss with olive oil and place around the chicken.  Roast for 1 hour, basting the chicken and vegetables with the pan juices occasionally.  The chicken is cooked when the juices from the thigh run clear when pierced with a skewer.

Voila!

Soup for the Soul

It's wet and blustery here today - perfect for a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup.

When I started out making this I was thinking of this more traditional soup I read about earlier in the week, however it evolved slightly to a have a more Asian feel. 

Yesterday, a trawl of the Petone food shops turned up some black fungus at Davis Trading, the local Asian supermarket and I decided to try it out in my soup.  Black fungus comes dried like Shitake and needs to be re-hydrated before use.  I soaked it in warm water for half an hour before chopping and adding to the soup.  It had a surprising crunchy texture which was slightly disconcerting but not unpleasant.

Black Fungus, also known as wood ear - for obvious reasons!

The base of the soup is home-made chicken stock, which I simmered for around 30 minutes with fresh ginger, crushed garlic, chopped onion, carrot and leek and a few chicken drumsticks.  I then strained the stock and returned it to the pot, discarding the vegetables and removing the meat from the chicken bones to be added back to the soup.  To the broth I added the chopped black fungus, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, a small amount of chilli paste and seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper.  I served the broth over the chicken meat and Japanese Soba noodles and garnished with spring onion and a healthy slug of sesame oil.