my’bitchin’kitchen

finally there is an inkling of autumn in the air!  i thought the day would never come when i could suitably post a soup recipe on my blog again.

cauliflower; the underrated, unsung hero and albino cousin of its more colorful counterpart; broccoli…did you know there is such thing as purple cauliflower? anyway, i really like cauliflower, i have recently discovered.  it can be tough to tackle, sometimes i am just not quite sure how to go about it…whether i should break each stalk off into neat little flowerettes or just take to the whole thing with a knife and make a big mess.  cauliflower is delicious in soup, sauces and just last night i made a cauliflower gratin with pan fried chorizo, thyme and white sauce…mmm yum.

this cauliflower soup recipe is extremely simple, but the flavours  and end result are much more impressive than you would imagine, so much so, that a whole bowl of it might be a little overbearing.  i like to serve it as an entrée with thyme sprigs, chopped chives, mini croutons and sometimes, when i’m feeling really fancy, a dash of truffle oil. the basic recipe is from donna hay issue 26…but have added a few things of my own…

i didn’t take many photos of this one because i didn’t realise it was going to be so damn good!

ingredients

1 brown onion chopped
1 cauliflower trimmed (and roughly chopped or neatly pulled apart into flowerettes…maybe this could be the new personality test!)
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1 cup pouring cream
tablespoon olive oil
handful fresh thyme
10 chive…leaves…stalks…or just 10 chives?
small french stick / sourdough loaf, chopped into 1cm squares… you will need a handful
knob of butter (i learnt that one from jamie), melted
truffle oil (optional)
salt & pepper

method

turn oven onto the grill setting at about 180ºc. place the bread pieces in a tray lined with baking paper and combine with melted butter. place under the grill until crisp and golden; about 3-4 minutes.
brown the onion with the olive oil in a large pot over the stove. add the crushed garlic and cauliflower and stir until warmed through; about 3 minutes.
pour in the all of the stock and water (you may like to add a little more at the end, but i like my soups thick) and bring to the boil.  reduce heat and allow to simmer for 12 minutes.
remove from the heat, blend the contents together and combine the cream.
serve in demi-tasse cups with a few croutons, chopped chives, a sprig of thyme and a dash of truffle oil if you are feeling fancy too.

i absolutely love roast pork belly … the combination of the crispy skin and the soft, rich layers of meat that melt in your mouth (when it’s done right) is delicious! but i am a little bit afraid of most pork cuts that depart from the usual suspects; ham / bacon / prosciutto, so i have been hesitant to try this myself. that and for this recipe you need to make yourself reasonably available for around 4 hours on and off.  i probably didn’t leave this cooking for long enough (i followed the recipe, however the crackling could have been…well…more crackly!) so just a word of advice, don’t be afraid to keep roasting it for longer than the recipe says to, it is pretty hard to mess up - the longer you roast it, the more tender it will become.

seeing as it is so rich, i can only ever really stomach an entreée size portion of pork so it is a good idea to supplement it with something subtle and hearty to serve as a main, like root vegies or as i have done here, root vegetable puree. the relish in this recipe is delicious and cuts the rich flavour of the pork, while adding a sweet dimension to the meal. the watercress is a nice garnish and adds something fresh and untouched to the plate.

the recipes for the roast pork belly and the cranberry and elderflower relish are based on recipes by ottolenghi’s creators; yotam ottolenghi and sami tamimi.  both born in jerusalem, their food has a strong middle eastern influence and is very much about colour, texture, presentation, of course flavour and the freshest of fresh ingredients.  they don’t over complicate the cooking or preparation process and their food is not wanky. their successful stores are located in london and are very hard to label one thing or another - they themselves sum it up with the words ‘food shop, patisserie, deli, restaurant, bakery’ and yet this still doesn’t do it justice … and to think i have never actually set foot in one of their stores! (although i have seriously considered forking out the $3000 + for a plane ticket just to do so). thank the lord for their recently released cook book ‘ottolenghi, the cookbook’. yotam and sami’s passion, nay, obsession or food is so evident in every dish… something which i hope is true of my own creations.

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mum’s hams are the best and we usually can’t wait til christmas to make them, any excuse will do!

juicy on the inside and caramelised and crunchy on the outside - what more could you ask?

(see that one pale little square of missing fat? i just couldn’t wait!) Continue reading

i’m very sorry - i have been extremely slack with my blog the last few weeks.  but what can i say… i swapped my frypan and spatula for my snowboard and beanie and have been carving it up with josh (or atleast trying my hardest to) on the slopes of the remarkables and coronet peak in queenstown.  we had a great time, but i brought home a terrible flu which i can’t manage to shake… and which interestingly enough, rendered my fingers unable to type??  that wasn’t a very good excuse.  but at least i tried.

i hope my secret recipe for crunchy potatoes will make up for it. Continue reading