The Oyster Weekend: How To Eat Oysters

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How To Eat Oysters: A brief guide to the fine art of oyster eating. Step 1: On a sunny afternoon bundle dogs, family, friends, and a chilly bin full of oyste...

Fire Fire Dailling 111

 

I was just thinking how gorgeous life in the country is, as I wandered out to my 'Ugly Shed' to do some work, when sniff sniff...I smelt woodsmoke!

In a nanosecond I realised that the whole valley was wreathed in thick smoke billowing all over the place in the light breeze. Leaping up on top of the stile for a higher view, I saw smoke was coming from the direction of an unoccupied house up the hill from us. With more speed than agility I hurdled the neighbours fence and puffed up the hill under her pines to find the source crackling away amongst dense native bush behind the lovely old home. Calling out across the property I got no response.

Diving back into the neighbours home I dialled 111 and told my story which was hindered severely by not being able to give the address of the fire. Racing back home I grabbed the dogs and keys and shot up the road to find the driveway of the property. Still no sign of the Fire Engine. Once I'd noted the address I shot back to my neighbours, called 111 to be told the engine was on site. Well derrr.. no it wasn't, because by then I'd clambered back up the hill and called while standing watching the smoke billowing out of the bush unhindered.

Finally a very handsome...! fireman arrived at my neighbours and we both sprinted back up the property so he could leap the fence and find the fire source and direct the engine in.

By then the smoke was abating and we ascertained that there was a gardener on the property. I apologised to the Fireman who, in no uncertain terms, said, "You did exactly what we want people to do. Always call us first". He reiterated that we do have a fire ban, we are in a worse drought than last year and the stand of bush encloses several houses. He took the call very seriously.

Relieved I retreated home for a cuppa and quietly observed that there is never a dull moment living this rural life. Just yesterday Pip drove out our driveway at 6am to find it blocked by two ambulances with lights flashing. Neighbour Barb was off to hospital with a dislocated hip!

Hopefully my afternoon in "Ugly shed" will be uneventful. 

This Duck's day is Done!

If you are squeamish don't read this one please!
Yesterday my baby ducks had their first taste of paddock life. Cautiously at first, they whistled and chirped discovering lush grass under the copper beech and cool brown pond water to dip and dive in. Under the watchful eye of Mum Missy the nine little quakers fended off pecks and shoves from their two Daddies, Boss and Alex. By days end Missy had lost all her long wing feathers, mainly pecked out by dear little gentle Waddle whose suffering from sterile egg syndrome! Minor panic ensued when I could only find five ducklings swimming, the other four completely disappeared. After headless chook half hour of searching the undergrowth for carcasses and berating myself for letting them out I found the lost four sleeping in their duck house safe and sound!

Another pearl perfect morning today so the ducklings were encouraged back into the paddock. They waddled down to the pond and zoomed around on the water, flapping and diving and generally doing ducky stuff. Leaving them to nature I attended to some computer work.

Lachie's barking should have alerted me but he barks at butterflies and leaf crackles so I just hollered out 'be quiet Lachie". Derrrr. What he was really saying was 'my sister is eating your duckling'

Horrified I found one of my babies very dead under the mandarin tree with Tess and Lachie standing over it. Clasping its warm little body in my arms, its little broken neck supported by my hand I looked up to find Mother Missy eyeing me from the close by the fence. "So Sorry Missy, your baby is dead".

Quickly, I placed the dead baby on the kitchen bench and found both dogs who were sternly placed in the respective dog boxes. Furious with myself and them and the cruelty of nature but determined not to let its death be in vain after all I'd been twice daily feeding these little guys for 8 weeks or so now.

My settler genes took over as I held the warm dead duckling and plucked out its feathers, surprised how easily the feathers ripped away leaving fuzzy down before I shaved that off with a sharp knife.

Eventually I had a bag full of downy feathers and a naked bird. After quick online consultation and scheduled trip to the physio, I returned to gut my duck. My Dad taught us to gut fish as kids, I've boned out rabbits but this was my first time doing a freshly killed bird so was surprised how easy it was.

My baby duck did not die in vain. It will make a lovely little roast tonight!

Two days later PS: Here's my recipe for Home grown Braised duck with star anise and sherry accompanied by freshly dug crispy smashed potatoes with lemon zest.  (adapted from Nigel Slater's)

• Cut your duckling into four pieces. Bigger duck more pieces. 
• Heat oil in heavy bottomed casserole, brown duck and remove. 
• Throw in 2 chopped onions, 3 big garlic chopped, 8 slices of ginger cut into matchsticks, bunch of spring onions chopped into long pieces, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and saute. 
• Slurp in 125mls of sherry or rice wine. 
• 500mls of chicken stock as well. 
• Toss in 3 star anise. Salt and Pepper. Taste. I added a slosh of soy sauce to get the salty/sweet balance right. Bubble this away for a few minutes on stove top then slide in you darling duck. 
• Pop in 180 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender. 
• I pulled my duck out and placed on oven tray under a 200 degree grill/broiler or on fan grill to crisp up skin for 5 -10 mins. Do not burn it!!
• Strain the sauce and put back on stove to reduce slightly. Serve in a gravy boat.

Meanwhile in the bottom of the oven I'd roasted my newly dug potatoes for 30 mins. Turned them, then attacked them with a masher until they were smashed flat. Drizzled on more olive oil, dressed the lot with zested strips of lemon and snowfall of flaky salt and cook until duck is done. 

To plate up, layer on several flat crispy rounds of potato, rest a crispy skinned duck portion on top and bathe in gravy. Side dress with green beans and some of the veges from the braising liquid. Definitely worthy of a good Pinto Noir.

Pips recipe rating: "We'll be whopping a duck a month for the next 8 months...!"

Pre-Cyclone Orchard Harvest means bottling time!!

The threat of an oncoming Cyclone and fruit trees groaning in the orchard meant only one thing. Stripping the remaining fruit from the orchard! 40 kg of pears later, a few baskets of figs and apples were transformed during the next week. My lobster pot did able duty as preserving pan boiling up syrupy mixtures of  Pears in Red Wine, Pears in Earl Gray Tea, Pears in lite syrup, Pear cheese (like Quince Paste), Pear sauce, Pear and Rosemary jelly, Spicy Pear Chutney. Seemed like I was standing over the stove for nearly two weeks!

I'm using the overflow method a my jars are too tall for my big Pot.

 

Pears in Earl Grey Syrup

4ish pounds of pears
3 cups of sugar
4 cups of water
3 Earl Grey tea bags
1 vanilla bean
1 whole cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves

Bring  syrup to boil over medium high heat. Once the syrup has come to a boil, add the tea bags, split and scraped vanilla bean, cinnamon and cloves. Rest at least 3 hours – or even overnight. (I couldn't wait that long). 

Taste the syrup, once its good and flavoursome, start on the pears. Peel, core and halve the pears. Place in bowl with lemon juice to stop going brown. You can take the stems off, but I like to leave them on to grab the pears out of the jar. 

Sterilise jars by washing in soapy water. Rinse. Place Jars on cake rack in oven dish in 180 degree oven for 10 minutes minimum. Place lids and seals in pot of boiling water for 10 mins. 

Overflow method: Pop pears into syrup and cook until soft and cooked through. Cooking time depends of whether pears are whole,halved or quartered, approx 20-30 mins. Test with fork. Place oven dish with hot jars beside stove. Pack boiling pears into hot jars, pour on boiling syrup, (I use a jug to dip into syrup). Remove air bubbles by sliding knife into jar and pressing gently against fruit repeat around jar. Pour on syrup to overflow and pop on hot lid and rings and tighten. Cool. I am storing all my overflow method preserves in the garage fridge this year. Next year I will have buy a really big pot for water bath method and will store in pantry. 

Water Bath Cooking : Cold pack the pears in jars – feel free to add new cloves and cinnamon to each jar if you like. Re-boil the syrup, and pour over your jars. This is a recipe that does require bubbling, though not as much as a fruit butter. Top with hot, wet lids and rings and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Yield approximately 3 quarts.

Sweating for the Paint

Ugly shed is about to get a face lift. How its survived all the demolition around here is a wonder. Ugly shed was the first thing we'd tagged for demo but its stay of execution evolved as its usefulness for dry storage became evident, aided also by its desirability to others more far seeing.

Pip cleared it out last weekend so along with all the buys from the office, his garage is now bristling with desks, chairs, shelving units and assorted sports stuff. Armed with a 10L pail of bright white paint, first I sealed and then rolled an exhausting six coats of white paint on the fake wood paneling. Slaving away on the two hottest days of the summer to transform every surface into a clean slate. Sadly a about a litre of paint found its way into my hair, soles of my shoes and seat of my pants!

Pip, arriving home, stopped dead in his tracks as I emerged from my 'Ugly Shed' saying, "If anyone who knows you saw you in that get up they'd disown you!" Really?, I thought, Doesn't everyone wrap a tee shirt round their head and wear a bikini while painting!

Anyhoo by midday Saturday we had moved all the furniture in, I'd unpacked my library unseen for 10 years and could proudly say I had my own space at last. Be it ever so humble there's no place like home!

First Christmas at Coal Mine Cottage

After a lovely Christmas Eve dinner with Pips family here the night before we hosted our first Christmas Day celebration at Coal Mine Cottage. Our quest for a 'Kiwi Country Christmas' involved me getting creative with rusty solutions and black board paint turning baubles into rustic decorations for my lichen twig tree! And hoping the weather would be kind!

Intending Christmas day to be balmy and warm was a dream destined not to come true this year, so after consulting the 10 day forecast we switched our alfresco dinner into an indoor affair turning the house upside down and reorganising furniture to cope with 20 bottoms on 20 chairs! Phew...done with no ring-in's needed. I always knew that second dining table would come in handy!

The day dawned showery but hopeful for breaks in the weather everyone arrived bearing food, gifts and golf clubs. A champagne infused game of paddock golf had all the young ones pitting their skills against the tight and testing holes, named balls where lofted into the tussocks, ponds and creek, while others found their way cunningly onto greens. A lot of fun was had by all.

Gifts were followed by gorgeous food provided by all the family, even the young ones contributed which made it all the more fun.

Five crazy gorgeous energetic dogs added to the melee and general good vibe.

Merry Christmas 2013 from Coal Mine Cottage.

Stormy Beach Birthday with Girlfriends

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!!