chicken soup: a favourite

Some time ago I wrote about my quest to find the secret recipe for Flat White's chicken soup: http://missmayblossom.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/in-search-of-soup-flat-white.html

Well, it's now time I let you know that I have that recipe in my hot little hand, or should I say, hot bowl! Years ago, when we used to live nearby and eat regularly at Flat White, there used to be a revolt if this was not on the menu!

This recipe's appeal is its beautiful fusion of flavours from the hearty stock base to the lemony chicken and the goodness of lentils and freshness of the herbs. I didn't have basil when I made this but I did have loads of coriander, mint and parsley. Go nuts with the herbs!

You can use this za'atar recipe: http://missmayblossom.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/zaatar.html

I bought a supply of sumac from the most extensive organic store I've come across - Terre Madre in Northcote (Melbourne) but I'm sure you can source the spice in Sydney or wherever you are in the world online!

So here it is...

Flat White Chicken and Lentil Soup  (serves 6)

100ml Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

½ an onion

1 small stick celery

1 carrots

½ a leek

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 bird eye chilli

1 tbl curry powder

1 tbl ground cumin

1 tspn paprika

200 gram split red lentils

2 litres chicken stock

1 lemon and rind

6 tomatoes, roughly chopped

½ bunch mint

2 large handfuls spinach leaves, washed and roughly chopped

½ bunch basil

300g Chicken Breast fillet

thick greek style yogurt (to serve)

Za’tar (to serve)

FOR POACHING: Place the chicken breast in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring gently to a simmer and cook until breast is cooked through (about 20 minutes). Remove from liquid and allow to cool. Finely dice or shred chicken meat and set aside.

FOR SOUP: Process Onion, celery, carrots, leek and garlic in food processor until a rough pulp. Heat a large heavy based saucepan (something large enough to hold about 3 litres). Add olive oil and fry vegetable mixture until fragrant. Roughly chop chili and add to pot along with spices and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Fry until spices become fragrant. Add lentils and sweat for about 5 mins to allow them to soften. Add stock and bring to a simmer.  Peel the lemon rind and add to soup. Simmer for about 20 mins or until lentils are just tender. Add in chopped tomato and season to taste.

TO SERVE: Add chopped chicken to soup along with herbs and spinach leaves.  Season with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Serve with a generous dollop of yoghurt and a good pinch of za’tar.

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wrap up of the week

In the kitchen:

Pumpkin, spinach, feta, pine nut 'sausage rolls'

Combine baked pumpkin (baked in olive oil with whole garlic cloves), diced feta, and wilted spinach (then squeezed by hand to move moisture), one egg and toasted pine nuts. Remember to squeeze the garlic clove contents into the mixture. Roll in ready-made organic puff pastry (available at Harris Farm Markets).

I found that the 'sausage roll' style tended to ooze a bit so decided on putting nine generous dessert spoonfuls of mixture on a sheet of pastry (a couple of centimetres apart) then laying a second sheet over the top, cutting into squares and pressing down the edges. My 2 year old brushed them generously with a beaten egg so they browned in the oven (200ºc for about 16 mins or until golden).

Serve with a salad and plum sauce (see below).

Fish cakes with Vietnamese salad

A few weeks ago J spreaded the last of my grandfather's ashes (on his way to work) from his kayak between North and South Head in Sydney. Within minutes he'd hooked a 50cm long Australian salmon (thanks Brownpa) so we researched a few good things to do with salmon aside from grilling the fillets. We came up with this variation of fish cakes. Unfortunately J didn't catch any fish this week but Harris Farm was having a special- buy 2kg of bream for the price of 1kg so I made these again.

Salad: finely slice purple cabbage, grated carrot, spring onions and capsicum. Add a handful or so (depending on taste) of finely sliced Vietnamese mint, coriander and Thai basil and drizzle with lime juice, sesame oil, and fresh chilli dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (or freshly roasted peanuts) and serve immediately.

Fish cakes: place fillets of fish, few kaffir lime leaves, half a lemongrass stickand equal quantities of fresh coriander, parsley, spring onions & finely diced potatoes in to a food processor. Process until a thick paste is formed. Shallow fry in organic coconut oil and serve with the Vietnamese inspired salad and sweet chilli sauce.

Plum sauce

I used the recipe from Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Companion.

Mangoes: preparing for hibernation

Mango season is so short and I dream about mangoes when its not Summer so I've come up with a way that I can cherish mangoes - for smoothies or cakes. Slice fresh mangoes and squeezed mango pulp and juice (from pips). Place in sandwich bags (or spare containers) and place in freezer for use in Winter.

A girlfriend was only telling me today that she's done the same thing with fresh passionfruit that was given to her. She has frozen the pulp in ice cube trays.

Tomato concentrate

My grandmother and my friend both had a surplus of tomatoes that they gave me so I have retained some for salads this week and have made a batch of tomato concentrate with the remainder.

Tomato concentrate: fry off two red onions and four garlic cloves. Add diced tomatoes and a tin of water. Add basil (this is where my frozen basil leaves came in handy), and handfuls of parsley. Reduce until thick and blend in blender. Freeze.* You can also add red wine before reducing but I forgot. I'll add it to my thawed sauces instead.

Bread: It's easy to forget that convenience of a bread maker but I am getting back 'into it' this week. It's definitely as convenient as going to the shops to buy bread, and cheaper.

In the garden:

Turns out our tomatoes are finally ripening. Some of them are blistered and many of them are being nibbled by a keen possum or two but I am managing to salvage a few.

Chooks: 

Our chooks are finally laying more regularly. They went off their laying for a while there. It's hard to say if it was the adjusting to the three additional chooks or the heat. They are giving us, on average, three beautiful eggs a day.