The ham

The first time I saw Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contesa) on her cooking program I watched in horror as she flattened feminism with her rolling pin, swanned about her enormous house in the Hamptons preparing excessive amounts of rich food for her sweater wearing cheesy friends and doted upon husband Jeffrey. But for some reason, I am intrigued by her and her complete lack of irony. I've even started to try her recipes and mimic her favorite expressions: "let's have a party", "it's going to be so much fun" and "why does everything start with a stick of butter?"

This is Ina's recipe for ham glaze and like everything Ina makes, it's "so good".

Glaze

6 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup good mango chutney
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Score and stud the fat of the ham with cloves. Spread with the glaze and cook in a preheated 160 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.



If you want to cook the ham from 'green' rather than buy a cooked ham, here is what you do before glazing.

Soak the gamon in a basin of cold water overnight. To cook, place ham in a pot large enough to hold it. Place it on the stove and fill with cold water, then add a handful of cloves and peppercorns, several bay leaves, a couple of star anise and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Put it over a medium heat and bring slowly to the boil, for about 30 minutes. Watch it carefully - as soon as the first bubble breaks the surface, turn the heat right down. It is very important that you don't let the ham boil. Allow a cooking time of 20 minutes per 500g. Cook in the water for two thirds of the cooking time. Remove from the water, remove the rind and glaze the ham as above. Transfer to a preheated 160 degree oven and cook for remainder of the cooking time.

Of course, ham is the perfect way to indulge in some chutney loving.



For this occasion I cracked open a jar of pear and capsicum chutney.

I had managed to let the chutney mellow for a whole 2 weeks and it was delicious. Not too sweet and not too sour but just right.

A day to preserve

Peering out my bedroom window this wintry morning I was greeted with a sky of grey. A lovely day for staying indoors and making chutney.

Most recipes tell you that chutneys benefit from ageing- anywhere from a month up to a year- to allow the flavours to mellow. The longest I’ve been able to hold off is about a week, the shortest, a day, which may be why my chutneys have a slightly wincey, sharp flavour. This time I’m determined to exercise some self control and give my chutney some time with itself. I’m also going to make plenty so at least some jars will sit on the shelf for awhile.


Tomato and capsicum chutney

1.5kg red tomatoes coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic chopped
2 white onions finely diced
1 red capsicum, roasted, skin and seeds removed, finely diced
475ml cider vinegar
150g raisins cut in half
8 whole cloves
2.5 teaspoons chili powder
5 small red chillies finely diced
½ cup lime juice or lemon juice
½ tbs ground cumin
420g sugar
2 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick broken in half
2+1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

Place tomato, garlic, onion and capsicum in large saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Stirring occasionally, simmer 20-25 minutes. Place remaining ingredients in bowl and mix well to combine then add to tomato mixture and mix with wooden spoon. Continue to simmer for 11/4 hours, stirring occasionally. Take off heat, remove cinnamon halves and spoon into hot sterilised jars and seal. WAIT BEFORE USING.

Pear and tomato chutney

675g of pears peeled cored and cubed
8 cherry tomatoes quartered
175g light brown sugar
300mp cider vinegar
75g sultanas
2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons mustard seeds

Place all ingredients in saucepan and cook gently over low heat for 1 + ½ hours, stirring frequently until the mixture has thickened. Spoon into 2 x 450g warm sterilised jars, seal and store in cool dark place for up to 6 months. WAIT BEFORE USING.

Beetroot and ginger chutney

225g onion, chopped
45g butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
450g raw beetroot, peeled and grated
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
25ml (1fl oz) sherry vinegar
120ml (4fl oz) red wine

Sweat the onions slowly in the butter (they should be very soft) and add sugar and seasoning. Then add the rest of the ingredients and cook gently for 30 minutes. Pot the mixture in sterilised jars. WAIT BEFORE USING.

The chutneys of my labour.


And now I wait…

Veg box orders and disorders

I’ve inherited from my mum and dad an almost self-destructive hatred of food wastage. ‘Use by’ dates were scoffed at in our house and if fuzzy mould appeared on tomato paste, jams or cheese it was never a reason to throw it out. It could always be remedied by a quick scraping with a metal spoon and a declaration of ‘its perfectly fine’. As a result my favourite way of cooking is to create a meal out of the ingredients that I have in the fridge and pantry, especially if it means using up something before it goes limp or mouldy.

This process has become infinitely more interesting and challenging since I’ve been staying with my sister as she has an organic fruit and veg box delivered each week. Its potluck what comes as they provide you with whatever is in season. Sadly, Wednesdays have become the highlight of my week when Chris delivers the box and I see what mystery ingredients I have to work with. Will I be able to rise to the challenge and use all the contents of the veg box before next week's delivery? I have to admit that the kohlrabi and turnip season was a particularly lucrative period for the compost bin.

Anxiety associated with optimum utilisation of organic Veg Boxes is fast becoming a new yuppie syndrome – if you need a support group or suggestions on what to do with challenging vegetables visit the Veg Box Diaries.

For the last few weeks there has been a continuous and slightly monotonous supply of zucchinis (courgettes to the Brits). After barbecuing, steaming, and ratatouilling them I decided it was time to gratinate the little mo fos.

This recipe is inspired by a 70’s-esque dish my mother used to make. Mum’s used grated potato rather than zucchini and was usually made on a night they were going out because it is quick and she could make it ahead of time.

Zucchini Gratin

Ingredients



1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion finely diced
70g cubed pancetta
500g or 4 medium sized zucchini, grated
1 tsp fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh mint
¾ cup mature cheddar cheese
1 cup self raising flour
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
handful of sliced mushrooms or sliced tomato for the top.

Preheat oven to 200C. Line a slice tin with non-stick baking paper so that it overhangs on all sides. Heat oil in frying pan and cook pancetta until lightly brown, then add onion until softened but not coloured. Remove from heat, stir in rosemary and cool.

Squeeze any excess liquid from grated zucchini and add to cooled onion mixture with grated cheese and flour.

In a bowl lightly beat eggs with buttermilk and season with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped mint. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. Pour into the tin and arrange mushroom or tomato slices on top. Bake for 40 minutes or until firm in the centre. Allow it to cool and firm little before turning out to slice it.

Serve with a salad and of course…. chutney.

Chutney on

Everything.

Really, what doesn't taste better with a little chutney? Its the most versatile and nondenominational condiment, as happy with a curry as it is on a cheese sandwich.

Homemade chutney is in a league of its own yet few cafes seem to do it here. The punters that frequent the greasy spoons, and even quite upmarket places that do breakfast, prefer to douse their morning fry ups in HP sauce (generically known as brown sauce) tomato ketchup, vinegar and mustard.

Imagine a sausage and fried egg on a ciabatta roll with a nice bit of tomato chutney instead...mmm.

I stocked up on glass jars at the Savers shop on North End Rd (just like the Hot Potato shop on Sydney Rd in Brunswick), and have started honing my chutney making skills.

Peter Gordon, a New Zealand chef who co-owns the Providores and Tapa Room in London, is one of my food heroes. When I first opened his cook book I knew I had found a guru and a kindred spirit. He uses really unusual combinations of flavours, cuisines and textures - an approach which seems very antipodean to me for some reason. This is his recipe for nectarine chutney from his book, "A World in my Kitchen".

Roast nectarine chutney



15 nectarines, stoned and quartered
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
6 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
1 lemon, halved then finely sliced and de-seeded
2 tablespoons rosemary leaves
1 bouquet garni
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
250ml (8fl oz) cider vinegar
500g demerara sugar
3 teaspoons Thai fish sauce

Preheat oven to 200C/400F degrees. Put all ingredients except sugar and fish sauce into a large ceramic roasting dish. Mix well then place on upper shelf of oven and roast 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture begins to reduce and colour, add sugar and fish sauce and cook further 30 minutes, stirring twice during this period. The chutney should be thick and the fruit still discernible in shape. (Continue cooking if too moist).

Spoon into sterile glass jars that you've had filled with hot water to prime, and wiped dry. Leave just 1/2 cm at top of jar. Seal while still hot and leave to cool. Store in fridge at least one week before eating. Refrigerate after opening.

Chutney made, what to eat it with? We were having people over for a barbecue the next night so I had to ignore Peter's instructions about leaving the chutney for a week (it makes a couple of 500ml jars anyway). To find a dish worthy of the chutney I turned to Karen Martini, another food guru for largely the same reasons that Peter Gordon is. She's a Melbourne chef who heads a restaurant called The Melbourne Wine Room. This is her recipe for barbecued quail from her book "Where the heart is". I thought it might be a bit fiddly picking meat off little quails so instead I used chicken marylands (or oyster cuts as they are called here- the thigh and leg portion still joined).

Cardamon, oregano and verjuice marinated quail (Serves 6)


10 cardamon pods, seeds removed from husk
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, zested
2 teaspoons salt flakes
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons died oregano
6 quails, butterflied, or 6 chicken thigh and leg joints (Marylands)
1 cup verjuice
lemon wedges to serve

To make the marinade, combine cardamon seeds, pepper, lemon zest and salt in a mortar and pestle and grind to a powder. Add garlic and half the oil and pound to form a paste. Stir in mustard, oregano and remaining oil.
Place quails or chicken in large dish, rub in marinade and pour over verjuice. Cover dish and place in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Drain marinade from quails/chicken then season with extra salt if desired. Preheat barbecue or oiled frying pan over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through and brown both sides. Serve with lemon wedges.

Continuing the slightly Middle Eastern theme I finished off dinner with a desert from the Moro cookbook which is a bible in my family.

Moro's yoghurt cake with pistachios (serves 6)


3 large eggs separated
70g castor sugar
2 vanilla pods, split in half lengthways
350g yoghurt (greek yoghurt thinned with a little milk)
finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 1.2 orange
juice of 1 lemon
20g plain flour
30g shelled unsalted pistachio nuts roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 180C degrees and put a bain-marie of water in to warm on the middle shelf (Bain marie means a water bath so you just need to fill a deep baking tray with water for the cake to sit in).

Beat the egg yolks with three quarters of the sugar until thick and pale. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pod and mix into the egg-sugar mixture. Add the yoghurt, lemon and orange zest lemon juice and the flour and mix well. In a separate bowl whisk up the egg whites with the remaining sugar until soft peaks form. Gently and evenly, fold the whites into the yoghurt mixture. Pour mixture into a 25cm round or square baking dish or a cake tin with a solid bottom, preferably stainless steel, or lined with greased proof paper. place the dish in the bain-marie making sure the boiling water comes halfway up the tin, and cook for 20 minutes. Then add the chopped pistachio nuts, sprinkling them gently on top, and continue cooking for further 20 minutes or until top is lightly brown. Consistency of the cake should be a light sponge with a wet custard below.

I served the cake with some creme fraiche and cherries that had been pitted and marinated for a couple of hours in balsamic vinegar (tablespoon), castor sugar (a sprinkling) and torn mint leaves (tablespoon).