Our in-laws came for dinner last night and we unintentionally had the most frugal and delicious meal ever. It all came about because my daughter and I are addicted to Food Safari, which is screening every night on Lifestyle Food - yay, a 'replacement' for MasterChef.
So, on Tuesday and Wednesday nights Maeve brightened two hearts by having two nights focusing on French cuisine - our fave. One dish that tickled my fancy was lamb navarin - made with big chunks of lamb shoulder on the bone. I decided to serve that up with mashed potato and a baguette to mop up the sauce - and followed it with lemon delicious pud with whipped cream. All up cost? I reckon about $25 for four adults and one child. Bargain.
Firstly I asked my butcher to chop up around 1.2 kilos of lamb shoulder, with the bones {which he did unblinkingly - he's used to me now} and, you know how expensive lamb is? Guess how much 1.2 kilos of lamb shoulder cost? $12! Yes, twelve dollars!!!
Here's the recipe - it's damned delicious
Ask for 1.2 kilos of lamb shoulder on the bone, chopped into fist-sized chunks {5cm-ish}
1 brown onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 big roma tomatoes, diced
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 turnip, chopped
one bunch baby carrots
8 eschallots, peeled and left whole
butter and oil
a few sprigs of thyme
a couple of bay leaves
a few sprigs of rosemary
salt and pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas
Brown lamb in melted butter, with a splash of oil, till caramel in colour, and set aside. Add a wee bit more butter and add onions and carrots and saute over low heat till soft {10 mins}. Toss meat back in and sprinkle flour over the mix, stir and cook for around 2 mins. Throw in herbs, pour over white wine and then add chicken stock and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, bring to the boil and pop in a 160 degree oven for 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, throw a few spoonfuls of sugar into a small saucepan, add a knob of butter and melt. Then throw in your shallots and cook till caramelised, shaking the pan often - probably for around 10 minutes. Add some white wine if the sauce needs thickening.
Then, add the diced turnip and baby carrots, stir and return to oven.
Five minutes before serving, add the caramelised shallots and frozen peas and add more salt and pepper to taste. By now my meat had fallen from the bone, so I fished around and removed the bones from the dish - digging out any marrow and adding it to the pot. I tasted, fell over in bliss, added a wee bit more pepper and salt, popped the lid on and placed it in the oven for 5 more minutes.
I served it with creamy mash and wow, delicious. Slightly sweet from the caramelised shallots an turnips, rich, soft meat, and the perfect way to use new summer veg and the remainder of the winter veg.
Those peasants really knew how to eat!
Some weeks it's really tough to find my shoe-of-the-week, others a pair will leap out and grab you by the heart. Scrolling through my second page of net-a-porter I spied these Valentino Couture pieces of perfection and uttered a strangled giggle/sigh/moan/scream.
I la la love birthdays. Just got this cute as a button email this morning from my mum and step-dad with birthday pics of me from, gulp, forty years ago. Must say though, I still experience the same excitement and joy as I did in that bottom pic!
Spring's not even here yet and I'm already wishing it away, but only cos I can't wait to go swimming this summer. How welcoming does my pool look? I just couldn't resist snapping a shot.
Hubby potted up the magnolias on the weekend - don't they look gorgeous between our antique french bench and with the charcoal fence as a backdrop? That was the final backyard task done, {why yes I am ignoring the fact that the pavillion requires another coat of paint. Shhhh}
Reading the local Saturday paper late Saturday night I stumbled upon the uber-exciting news that there was a four day exhibition in Newcastle - The Art of Dr Seuss.
Today hubby and I had a sneaky long-weekend and decided to get in early and get some long-neglected jobs done around the house.
Well my jasmine's out in flower, which, in my book means that it's spring. Time to think about ditching the flannelette sheets for crisp, white cotton, swap steamed veg for salads and bring out the floaty frocks and wedges.
Turning fifty sure looks fabulous with the gorgeously illustrated Cate Blanchett on the cover.
You know that the best way to save time is just to get in and do it, don't you? Well, here's a great way to stop procrastinating and just get things done. Give yourself a time limit. Say, I'm going to clean the kitchen, or, file paperwork for 30 minutes and then set a timer and get to it. Don't let anything distract you! Set your mobile to silent, don't automatically check emails, set any kiddies in front of the electronic babysitter... do whatever it takes to not distract you from the task at hand.
Okay, this is my super-dooper-mega-looper clean and tidy kitchen. I'm hoping that by posting it here I'll encourage myself to keep it that way {and to howl like a banshee at family to do same!}
Hello lover... Have you seen anything more delicious than the shade of grape in these patent pretties? Mr Louboutin did mighty fine with these wedges of wonder.
We had one of those lovely evenings last night. You know the one? You go along to a friend's house for a meal, the kids are playing, the adults are nibbling, sipping and chatting... The food's delish, abundant and exactly what you're in the mood for. The conversation veers from one fascinating topic to another. Champagne's always on the table... And you end the night in a taxi buzzing with joy.
