Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips. Show all posts

07 February 2011

Charlie Royal

Love the name...

Charles hails from my neck-of-the-woods, Rotorua. He's a celebrity Maori chef dude.
Ann sent me a pack of his KawaKawa herb, which smells delicious. Might combine it with the next fresh snapper haul.
Go have a little look at his website. I think his range and his tours sound amazing. What a great concept, so pleased to see someone commercialising this Maori food idea with taste (get it? Taste... hahah) and sensitivity.

28 January 2010

Price Sensitive

Most of us do check prices and I think this one is quite outstanding. However I also look for NZ made, and both these are "packed in NZ from imported ingredients".

Pack on the left: 89 cents at Pak 'n Save
Pack on the right - smaller weight - $1.89 at the same store.
Neither was on special.
The other thing about this is that I really like to have my herbs and spices displayed tidily on a rack, and the boxes and jars are better for that. But I could refill them from the pouch.

Curried Pickled Onions


One of my favourite pickles is made with this recipe.

I remember my mum telling me about a regular annual weekend get-together she used to have where she'd invite a couple of girlfriends over. When they arrived they would find she had her sack of pickling onions and their labour was called upon for the peeling. This went on for not too many years, when finally they turned the tables by bringing their own sackfuls.....
The outcome really is worth the peeling factor.
Onion Peeling Tip:
peel them under cold water. Fill the sink, or use a bucket. No more tears, no silly looking goggles, all good.

Curried Pickled Onions
Peel 2kg of pickling onions, cover with salt and water for 24 hours.
Boil 1.1 litres brown vinegar with 500g brown sugar.

Stir in the following mix, after making it into a paste with a  little cold vinegar:
18gm ground cloves
18gm all spice
3 big tbsp flour
1 dessertspoon curry powder
3 tsp turmeric




Boil until it all thickens.



Tip for adding the paste to the boiling liquid:
Come along, we all know this: gradually add hot liquid to the paste to bring the temperature of it up before you tip it in. Whisk!
Dry onions well, place them in a crock or in jars, cover with the cooled sauce and keep 3 weeks before using. If you can. I'm usually into them after week 2....



Here they are in some lovely crocks I bought from the local Hospice shop for practically nothing...

A challenge to Ray, Simon or Ross (my new colleagues in cooking - you know who you are!...)
The first of you 3 to contact me can have a jar of these.....