Saffy

Something to think about .... Too Clean?

I live in a town - where there is NO donut shop!!!!!!! I did live in a city where there was a Winchells.. which I believe is American. Their donuts were not too bad.. but with every mouthful you just know it is incredibly bad for you :/

babaganoush - I hope I spelt that correctly!

Suzanne, when I was browsing around for Dukkah recipes it was really amazing how many variations there were out there. The only thing that seemed to be consistent was nuts of some kind dried thyme and black pepper, everything else seemed to be changed around for all kinds of things. I don't see why you could not add a little in and give it a shot! Not sure how authentic it would be, but it would probably be good:) Some of the dukkah recipes had cayenne and chili in them. Here in the stores you can buy " spicy " dukkah and " sweet dukkah " which have different spice blends in them, as well as a multitude of others.. so I think it is one of those things that is probaly made according to taste by varying your ingredients whilst keeping the basics the same.

Yoghurt does the trick too there is an enzyme in milk that breaks down the capsacin ( sp? ) hence the presence of raitas with indian food to counter all that spicy stuff! Correct me if I am wrong suvir :)

Thanks! I know what type of culinary direction to head in now :)

I have a little bag of Sommaq in my pantry, that I bought a while back when I had read several recipes that had it as an ingredient. But I have done my usual trick of forgetting where I read the recipes. What kind of things can I use sommaq for.. do I need to mix it to a paste or should I just sprinkle and go for it? Searching online gives me next to nothing on it

Spots first walk Noisy Farm Spots first walk Making Friends Spots first walk My First word book Spots first walk and an occasional glance at Cuisine magazine get the picture ?

similar to bannock try aussie damper .. great as a loaf or on sticks with butter and jam pushed down the middle. Corn cobs rolled in foil and pushed into the embers of an open fire :)

Fried green tomatos recipe here Fried green tomatos But I would use corn meal not cornstarch in the coating. a sqeeze of lemon before serving is an excellent idea too.

Our current favourites are Kaitaia Fire Hot sauces ( a selection ) Rattlesnake jalapeno jam and ancho chilli jam Bufalo chipotle sauce Tapatio El Yucateco Habanero sauce Dr Hots Chili chutney :) Organic Chile sauces here if anyone is interested Kaitaia Fire They also have pickled garlic/walnuts and peppers and manuka smoked Jalapenos

Bread, in all it's wonderful forms :) or does that count as a " dish " ?

Shells almost all the time. The only time I will use hands is if I have messed up cracking the egg and ended up with a very small half and I have a double yolk egg. I use the edge of the counter to crack them.

If brownies are the work of the devil, I am definately going to hell.

Any particular variety of pumpkin that you need to roast the seeds? Usually at this time of year we only have crown pumpkin available here ( the bluish ones with nice flesh) I have kept a big halloween type pumpkin from last season for a jack o lantern though .. ahh the trials of living in the southern hemisphere.

We love squash chunks and wedges of red onion roasted with piripiri and cinnamon mixed through some steamed couscous. yumm !! :)

My blondie recipe is similar to those above, but has the chocolate chunks and pecans sprinkled over the top rather than mixed through the batter. I make blondies about once a fortnight, they keep quite well and the kids love them in their lunch boxes. Less expensive to make than a really good brownie.

Cabbage and swiss chard - too many dinners of watery overcooked cabbage and swiss chard sitting on my plate :(

This is one of the things that a glass measuring jug in a microwave is useful for. If you are just reducing the liquid to concentrate the flavour a microwave can be helpful in some cases.. other things I would not use this method for .. but it can be handy.

I would have to agree, I just could not bring myself to make a a cake or pikelets or brownies or pancakes from a package. They never seem like the real thing, it feels like you have cheated somehow. Nothing like a homemade brownie with a nice hot cup of good coffee

I love Brownies, lovely gooey fudgy brownies. Do you have a favourite Brownie recipe that you care to share ? Do you like Brownies with additions ? Cream cheese , hazelnuts, walnuts , white chocolate ? Or is this blasphemous. Do you like the brownies from the outside of the pan the ones that are slightly chewy? Or the ones that are from the insides.. extra gooey in the middle. How should the perfect brownie be?

We made Dam Aloo this evening .. it got me thinking how much sauce should there be? There did not seem to be all that much, is this correct? Also .. this dish is best made with new small potatos.. what potato dishes are there that are suited to the older floury potatos?

I would love a recipe. I have just not had any luck getting it right with the recipes that I have here. I am not sure if it's me or the recipes that are not so good.

Here is another courtesy of Claudia Roden from her Tamarind and Saffron recipe book Saffron Caramel Cream 600 ml milk 4 oz sugar plus 4 tblspns more for the caramel a pinch of saffron pistils 1/4 tspn cardamom seeds 2 tblspns rose water 4 eggs lightly beaten Scald the milk with the sugar, saffron and cardamom and let it cool to luke warm. Add the rose water and gradually beat into the eggs. Heat the remaining 4 tblspns sugar in a small pan until it melts and becomes dark brown ( don't burn it though! ) Add 4 tblspns water, the liquid caramel will harden and then melt and bubble. Pour into a metal ring mould or other type of mould. Turn the mould around so that the caramel reaches every part, using a spoon to help spread it up the sides if need be. Heating the mould in the oven beforehand keeps the caramel runny for longer. Let the caramel cool before pouring in the milk mixture gently. Place the mould in a pan of water ( bain marie ) and bake in a 180C oven for about 1 hour or until the custard has set. Chill before unmoulding. To turn out cut gently around the edges place a serving dish on top and turn upside down. Enjoy :)

Lawsons Dry Hills Gwertztraminer produced in New Zealand- any you can get your hands on. This producer always manages to make a stunning gwertz.. if you can get one, sit down with a fresh salad and big plate full of cold roasted chicken and a pile of chutneys and fresh bread.. you are in for a treat with every spicy mouthfull of this wine. Lawsons Dry Hills