The scary thing about birthdays is that they come round even faster once you're 50 something!
My speed-birthday is early December so thought a girls day out at the beach would be fun so Susie and I drove down the Coromandel coast to Vicky's Whangapoua bach. As luck would have it a big storm was threatening to rain on my parade! My visions of sundown bubbles and oysters on the beach fizzled as the rain started and didn't stop all weekend! Chrissy arrived much later from Tauranga in the pitch dark and bucketing rain, via the most torturous gravel road on the 'Mandel. For a girl who'd just driven for three hours in testing conditions she emerged undeterred clutching a gorgeous orchid and wearing a big smile.
We spent the next couple of days hunkered down in front of a blazing fire, catching up on each others lives, eating Vicky's gorgeous food.
Gastronomic highlight's were her homemade stuffed ravioli with sizzled sage in butter sauce at the 'pretty in pink dinner' and for afters...her mum's sultana cake with brandy butter icing (a nostalgic fave for me as my Dad used to make it too!) Annabelle Langbein's luscious mussel and courgette fritters were a hit at lunch.
For entertainment our fit and fabulous hostess introduced us to Gillian Micheal's fat busting 'Shred'
workout but that was about as strenuous as it got.
Secure in our haven on the hill we storm-watched waves lashing the headland and the stream bursting its banks flooding paddocks and the only road out! Susie, leaving later the next day, forded 500 metres of floodwater, her bow-wake washing well up to her headlights, pretty scary for most but this country-savvy city gal fords rural streams in her Volvo any day of the week!
A couple of days at Te Punga Lodge, left us refreshed and reinvigorated, the weathers enforced rest did everyone good.
Mussel and Zucchini Fritters adapted from Annabelle Langbeins 'a free range life'
(great book to have in any kitchen)
Steam as many mussels as you have until just opened. Pull meat out and chop into quarters in a bowl.
Grate in a couple of big zucchini's. Toss in a cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder, couple of eggs, 1 tsp curry powder, salt and pepper. Add enough water or milk to make sturdy batter.
Fry batches in hot oil. Delish!
Mussel and Corn fritters with Riata and Sumac.
I do a middle eastern adaptation, swapping out the mussel for fresh sweetcorn kernels cut raw from the cob.
I add a good splodge of ground cumin, sometimes finely chopped fresh chili and serve with cucumber, garlic and yogurt raita topped with liberal dousing of sumac.
Simply Irresistible!!
