Winter flowers

Because it is so cold down here in Wanaka right now (it has been -6 in the mornings) there is nearly nothing that flowers. I so miss having flowers in the house, on Great Barrier i grew up with the house full of jasmine, daffodils, fresias, and jonquils. Today i'm going to go and buy some jonquils, maybe a camelia and bring some beauty and deliciousness into our home. X

Dhal and Naan

So it's officially and undeniably winter, in fact i can see it snowing now as i'm looking out our window... this morning when i was dropping Brandon off to go to the mountain our whole town was white! It is like a winter wonderland here in Wanaka and very beautiful. For some reason in winter food seems to taste better and i find myself thinking about it a lot more. I have also been thinking up and investigating lots of new recipes (comfort food) for cold winter nights. I've been wanting to learn how to make Indian Dhal and Naan bread for ages now so on the weekend we went to Taryn and Dan's for a curry night! It was so fun running in from the cold to their cozy house, music, wine, wood fire, and they even kept baby Oscar up so we could cuddle him before he went to bed. Here's how Dan and Taryn make Dhal and Naan...




















NAAN

1 t yeast
3 cups flour
2 T oil
4 T yoghurt
1 t honey
1 t salt
3/4 warm water

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients, starting with flour and salt, then add oil, yoghurt and honey, lastly add yeast and warm water. Mix together and then knead into a dough on a floured bread board or bench. Leave for 15 mins to rise before rolling out and then bake at 200 - 220 degrees until some bits rise/bubble and it goes a nice colour. Make garlic butter and spread over top. Yum!

CURRIED RED LENTIL DAHL

They use a slow cooker for this and usually double the recipe (you can never have too much)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 -2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon minced red chilli
1 cup split red lentils
3 cups bath temperature water
2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder
salt
1-2 T chopped coriander, leaf (optional)

Directions
Heat the oil in a large pan.
Cook onion and garlic, stirring frequently
Add bay leaf and spices and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 to 2 minutes longer, then tip all into slow cooker.
Tip in the lentils, stir to coat with spices, then add the stock and water.
Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (Ours does it in about 3) until lentils are soft & mixture tastes smooth in your mouth. Thin with extra water if desired (will thicken on standing) and add salt to taste.

Stir in the coriander and serve.
You can serve Dahl as a meal, side dish, a dip with bread or veges or as a spread on sandwhiches or crackers. It is super dhaliscious!

Woolen Jersey

I've been wearing my beautiful hand knitted gold wool jersey a bit lately because it's started to feel like winter in Wanaka and as well as being the warmest thing i own it is also very pretty (everyone except my brother thinks so). Here's why you should rock a woolen jersey this winter:
1. it makes you feel cosy and snug
2. it's probably been hand made with love
3. wool is super warm and feels nice to touch (unless you're one of those people that thinks it makes you itchy)
4. everyone compliments you on your beautiful knitted garment
5. you may strike up a friendship with a fellow woolen jersey lover

Jan's home-made bread

When i was in Cape Town last year staying with the wonderful Jan we got into making our own bread, i mostly made gluten free (it's so expensive to buy and never as good as home made), and Jan made amazing 'normal' bread, by normal i mean that hers actually rose and tasted good every time, mine on the other hand was always an exciting experiment and there were times when i had to cut it horizontally for there to be an actual slice, and then sometimes it was really crumbly (i resolved this by using a gluten subtitute, turns out that gluten is what holds it together... i.e glue). Jan has just spent the summer on Great Barrier Island, my beautiful home and has been making her fantastic bread.. Dad says it's a been a big hit on the Island and that it should definately be posted to my blog, how could i say no! Plus there is nothing as good as hot bread straight out of the over with lots of butter on it. Dad read this recipe out to me over the phone the other day along with much enthusiasm and many detailed instructions, apparently this recipe makes one really big loaf or two smaller loaves and is best cooked in a wood stove...

Here it is:

7 cups flour (a mix of whatever you like, rye/spelt/wholemeal... anything as long as it's organic!)
4 teaspoons dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup mixed seeds (dad sometimes uses walnuts)
4 cups warm water

Mix dry ingredients together, use a little boiling water to dissolve the honey and then add a little less than 4 cups when you put the rest of the water in, add dissolved honey and olive oil to the dry ingredients and then add the remaining water. Mix all together. Put into a very large bread tin or two smaller tins (greased with butter or olive oil). Cover with a tea towel and find somewhere warm (warming tray in the oven works well) and let the bread sit for half an hour. Put into oven at 180C and cook for 45minutes.

I think it tastes best when it's still warm, with butter on and a cup of rooibos tea with honey. X



Thanks Jan for the great photo, we want to try your lemon meringue pie too! X