Frida Kahlo used to
hand out photographs of herself so people would remember her. Christine
made beautiful cards and posters for us all.
l to r: Christine,
Vivien, Chere, Colleen, Kim and Frances
Shoalhaven Foodies’ Fiesta lunch was a tribute to Frida Kahlo, the revered Mexican artist who was as famous for her tumultuous life as for her brilliant art. Frida also loved to cook in her fabulously coloured kitchen where people gathered to taste her food.
We were at Morellis Wines just a short drive from Berry on a beautiful Sunday in autumn. The day was clear and bright, no wind, not too hot, temperature just right. The day before, however, was very different. The wind blew across the valley where Morellis Wines sits under the purple mountain range around Berry. Down went the shade cover already set up for our Frida Fiesta lunch. Chris Morris and Isaac Ellis, who are the owners of Morrellis, were anxious to help. With lots of string and determination, Chris managed to avert the crisis and create a very pleasant environment for us. Thank you Chris! As you’ll see, the lunch we created was colourful, exotic and delicious – just like Frida herself!
CHERE’S Sopa
de Tomato picante con pistachio crema (spicy roasted tomato soup with pistachio mint cream)
Chere made her own
hat (a small miracle in itself!)
CHERE’S RECIPE Sopa de Tomato picante con
pistachio crema (spicy roasted tomato soup with pistachio mint cream)
Makes about 6 cups
3 pounds (1½ kilos) approx. red, ripe tomatoes, preferably vine ripened Roma
1 large red pepper
1 -2 poblano chillies
(depending on how hot you like it) (Poblano is Mexican, but you could use
another medium sized chilli if you can’t get it)
4 garlic cloves (skin
on)
3 tablespoons tomato
paste
5 cups vegetable or
chicken stock (preferably home made)
2 carrots, diced and
cooked 1 medium potato, peeled, diced and cooked
2 – 3 tablespoons of
honey (I used local organic)
5 cups stock (home
made vegetable or chicken if possible) Roast the tomatoes, chillies and red
peppers (cut in half) on a baking sheet under a very hot grill (about 4 inches
from the grill) until blistered and blackened in parts. This will take about 6
– 8 minutes each side. Remove as they blacken and blister.
Allow to cool, then
remove skin. Pull out the seeds and stems from chillies and rinse. Put the
tomatoes, red pepper and chillies (all peeled) into a bowl. Meanwhile, dry
roast the garlic on a dry skillet over medium heat until they are soft and
slightly blackened. When cool, remove skins and add to tomato mixture.
Add cooked carrots and
potatoes. In batches, blend together to make a smooth puree (add a little stock
if you need to) and then put through a mesh strainer. Discard the heavy pulp.
Heat in a large pot, adding stock to see just how much you need. Taste as you
go, add honey, tomato paste and seasoning according to taste.
Pistachio Mint
Cream
3 tablespoons finely
chopped fresh mint leaves
5 tablespoons blended
pistachios
½ cup low fat sour
cream or non-fat yoghurt
Mix mint, 3
tablespoons pistachios and sour cream or yoghurt. Serve on top of soup with an
extra sprinkling of pistachios.
FRANCES’ ENTREE
From left: Frances looked stunning. Polenta stacks with Mexican black beans and lime salsa
Mexican black beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic finely
chopped
1 large jalapeno,
seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground
cumin
2 (15 ounce) cans
black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup) chicken
stock
fresh coriander,
chopped lime juice
Directions:
1 Heat oil in heavy
large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2 Add garlic, chili
and cumin and sauté 30 seconds.
3 Add beans and
broth and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Coarsely mash beans with
potato masher. 4 Continue boiling until thick, stirring frequently, about 20
minutes. Season to taste with lime juice, salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl.
Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
Lime salsa
1 small onion, finely
chopped
1 cup chopped fresh
cilantro
1/2 cup each chopped
parsley and salad oil
6 tablespoons lime
juice
3 tablespoons
distilled white vinegar
2 cloves garlic,
minced or pressed
1 jalapeno or other
small hot chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
Directions:
Mix
onion, coriander, parsley, oil, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, and chile in
a non metallic bowl. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate until next day.
Polenta stacks
1 pk polenta, corn
meal
2 red capsicums
tasty cheese
2 avocados
salt pepper
Polenta rounds
follow packet to make
polenta spread onto a baking tray to 1cm thick cut in rounds, brush with olive
oil and grill till slightly crisp, brush capsciums with olive oil,bake in
oven, remove skin and seeds create stacks by sandwiching thin slices of cheese
and strips of capsicum, seasonwith salt and pepper, warm in oven till cheese
melts, top with slices of avocado serve with lime salsa and mexican black beans.
MAINS – Colleen and Kim
Colleen’s Pollo en Mole Coloradito (Red Oaxacan Chicken)
1.5kg chicken pieces
2 cups (500ml) water
250g ancho chillies or
50g dried medium hot red chillies
(you can use a chilli
paste instead of these if you prefer to gradually add and adjust the heat to
suit everyone’s taste)
1 large red capsicum
2 teaspoons smoked
paprika
440g canned tomatoes,
drained
1 onion, roasted
1 clove garlic,
roasted
1 tablespoon sesame
seeds, toasted
¼ teaspoon ground
cinnamon
½ teaspoon dried
oregano
60g butter
50g Mexican chocolate
or bittersweet dark chocolate, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
Place chicken and
water in a large saucepan and simmer over a medium heat until tender. Reserve
broth for later.
Place chillies and
capsicum on an oven tray and cook at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes. Remove seeds
and soak in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain and place chillies, capsicum and
paprika in a food processor or blender, with tomatoes, onion, garlic, seasame
seeds, cinnamonand oregano and process until smooth.
Melt butter in a large
heavy-based pan and cook the puree over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Reduce heat, add reserved chicken broth and chocolate and simmer for 10 to 15
minutes, stirring constantly, or until sauce thickens.
Add sugar and chicken
pieces and simmer for 5 minutes longer or until heated through.
Season to taste with
freshly ground black pepper and salt.
Serves 6
Kim’s Budine de Elote (corn pudding)
3 tablespoons dried
breadcrumbs
2 cups canned corn
kernels
½ cup milk
100 g butter
2 eggs
pinch sugar
salt
freshly ground black
pepper
Grease a l litre souffle dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Blend or process corn
and milk into a rough puree.
Beat butter until
creamy, then slowly add corn puree and beat to combine.
Add eggs, one at a
time, beating well after each addition. Mix in sugar and season to taste.
Pour the mixture into
the prepared dish and bake at 180ºC or 350ºF for 30 minutes until golden
brown and cooked through.
Foodie Kim
Serves 4 – 6
2 tablespoons olive
oil
1 small onion, peeled
& finely chopped
1 tomato, skin removed
& finely chopped
1 ½ cups (230 g) long
grain white rice
3 cups (750 ml)
chicken stock
1 small carrot, peeled
and diced
1 green capsicum
(pepper) chopped
½ cup (50g) fresh or
frozen peas
1 lime, cut into
wedges
Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan and cook onion over a medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden. Add tomato and cook until tender.
Add rice and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the stock, carrots, capsicum and fresh peas. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. If using frozen peas, add 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
Serve with lime wedges
DESSERT
Mus de Kahlua
con Churros (chocolate
with Kahlua and fried pastries)
Christine made her red beads especially for the day
Christine’s Churros
serves 8
250ml water
100g unsalted butter
150g plain flour
¼ tsp salt
3 eggs, slightly
beaten
Vegetable oil, to
deep-fry (Spanish oil to keep it authentic !)
½ cup icing sugar
mixture, sifted
cinnamon to taste
Combine water and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until all the butter has melted. Remove from heat.
Add the flour and salt
and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined and the dough comes away from
the side of the saucepan. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15-20
minutes to cool.
Add the eggs, one at a
time, beating well after each addition, until well combined. Spoon the dough
mixture into a piping bag fitting with a fluted nozzle.
Add enough oil to a
large saucepan to reach a depth of 6cm. Heat to 180deg over medium heat (oil is
ready with a cube of read turns golden brown after 15 seconds). Using a small
sharp knife to cut the dough, pipe four to six 10cm lengths into the oil
(number will depend on the size of your saucepan – do not overcrowd as they
will stick to each other). Deep-fry for 1-2 minutes or until a golden brown.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer churros to a plate lined with paper
towels. Dust with the icing sugar and cinnamon mixture. Repeat with the
remaining dough, reheating the oil if necessary between batches.
WITH COFFEE
Vivien’s Hot date con Frida (dates dipped in chocolate chilli)
A simple one, but
truly delicious!
Plaistowe dark
chocolate
powdered chilli (
amount depends on how hot you want it)
Melt chocolate, mix in
chilli and dunk the dates in the mix.
If desired, decorate
with chilli flakes, cardamom or dried sour cherries.
Left: The Morellis’ wines went beautifully with the meal. Right: Chris at Morellis Wines
Morrellis Wines are located at
204 Bundewallah Road,
Berry (A short drive out of Berry)
During March to
October they are open on Weekends and public Holiday from 10 – 5
You can contact them
on: 0413 161 216
No comments:
Post a Comment