SAZL Sweats: Chicken and Vegetable Casserole

I recently got a cookbook called Middle Eastern Cookery by Arto der Haroutunian. I've bought his North African Cookery before, but got it sent home to Manila before I got the chance to try any of the recipes. This time, I came prepared. I bought a dutch-oven, enamel coated cast iron casserole in blaze red. It will be my first time to cook using a casserole and I can't wait. In my excitement, I gathered my ingredients since yesterday and poultry today. Originally, I wanted to try the Armenian Vegetable Casserole, but I know I needed protein. Flipping a few more pages led me to the Chicken and Vegetable Casserole, which is I think equally promising.

First, I used chicken drumsticks for this recipe, dredging them in flour combined with chilli flakes, salt and pepper then lightly frying them in the casserole with some oil. Setting them aside, I added more oil, then fried chopped eggplant, green beans, baby carrots, onions, courgette and red pepper. The chicken pieces are added back in with chopped tomatoes. 3/4 cup of water scented with salt, pepper and chilli flakes are added into the casserole, covered, then baked on a 190C oven, for almost an hour. Mine just cooked for 20-30minutes in the oven. After which, the chicken came out moist and tender on a piping hot, tasty bed of stewed veggies. I had a small bowl immediately with all the lovely "soup". There's nothing left to do except dunk few chunks of bread into it and eat.

Smoked Trout Betel Leaves @ Longrain, Little Bourke

These photos taken from one of our December lunches when my family visited still stuck on my mind. It's not just the way it looked, but the way it tasted. I had my first taste of the herb wrapped in something I can't remember on one of my first dinner-outs with friends. Honestly, I hated it at that time. It was bitter and dry in the mouth.

It's strange that I ended up convincing Mom and Sis to try this one when we had lunch at Longrain, after having the not-so-nice experience some place else. This is Longrain after all. What could go wrong?

So, what's in it, you ask? It's described as betel leaf topped with smoked trout chilli roasted galangal garlic and trout roe. I definitely think that there's something more in there but the dressing was fantastic. It was zingy and sweet, without being too salty. Though, for me, one or two should be enough to start off the meal. At the end of the meal, my mind was still on that small morsel of herb, packed with flavor.

SAZL Sweats: Oven Baked Salmon Steaks

I always wondered how restaurants manage to serve salmon steaks perfectly. You know how the salmon steak will be pulping with its sweet juices and majestically coral in color. I hate it when a restaurant overcooks salmon steak or fillet. You can literally see strains of milky clots on the flesh. I think that's a crime. Not that I favor the rare but I'm against overkill, in the effort of being impressive but failing horribly.In my quest to cook the perfect salmon fillet/steak, I only found out how last year, when one particular day of every other week turned out to be "salmon" night. First, let's talk about the marinade. I think that fish should not be marinated too long or else, it will cook the flesh. Acidic condiments used to marinade the fish should not be used as well such as lemon and vinegar among others. If you favor lemon or vinegar, use it as a dressing, when the fish was already cooked. Simply dusting the salmon fillet/steaks from the humble salt and pepper to various dried herbs and spices of your choice will do perfectly. I made mine with oregano, parsley, basil, thyme, honey, salt and olive oil. If olive oil was not used, you can dot the salmon steaks with butter before going into the oven.On a 180C oven, for 15-20minutes will guarantee a well-cooked, juicy piece of salmon steak/fillet. If the outside turned too brown, cover it with foil and return to the oven. I like mine with a touch of pink , so they say. The result was simple but delicious, with the salmon flesh melting in your mouth without the need of chewing.

SAZL Scenes: Ashcombe and Lavender Farm, Mornington Peninsula

I never understood why my Grandma and aunt loved the smell of lavender. I always find the smell too old or powdery for me. Maybe because I was young at that time. When we visited the lavender farm at Ashcombe, I was astounded with how pretty fresh lavender looks. At first sight, they appear grassy. At another glance, whimsical and graceful against the wind. All the while, they release a subtle, sweet smell, not like those we usually buy commercially at stores. There is something uplifting about looking at a whole bunch of lavender stems, swaying with the wind.

SAZL Sweats: Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint

I was utterly frustrated today from my studies that I don't feel like writing anything at all. Good thing though was there was always food to comfort and uplift me. Hurriedly, I went over to my kitchen and made watermelon and feta salad.

It has always been my "dream" to try this recipe from the moment I saw it on one of Nigella's summer episodes. I know it doesn't seem thrilling or interesting at the least. For me, to incorporate fruit in salads has that attraction and I wonder at the taste of how sweet and salty would work in a fresh dish.

Herbs and cheese aren't Manila's strongest points but I have to say that we have the best tropical fruits grown and harvested inland. During the summer, we have the sweet, stringy watermelon with dark green skin, not like the one we have in Melbourne now.

Working through what I need is simple enough. I didn't follow Nigella's recipe to the letter. The recipe called for olives, which I omitted. I did follow the bit where she "marinated" the red onion in lime juice, to get rid of the acrid burn of raw onion. The result was a mellow crunch, nothing overpowering and refreshing.

I also took the effort to cool the watermelon, because I like cold salads, especially in warm days like this. The feta cheese that I used was made from skim milk. I'm not sure what will be the difference but I opted for full cream feta cheese but overall, it won't do harm to cut down on the fat. Hehe.

Putting it all together is a simple effort, the last to be in the salad is a touch of olive oil. A light toss, and all you have to do is eat it.

SAZL Scenes: Chandon Estate, Yarra Valley

During the holidays, we took a day trip to Yarra Valley. It was a bit warm but still pleasant. The Chandon Estate got the hands-down best view of the Yarra Valley with the hills and hectares of vineyard.

After a short and informative tour of the Chandon brewery, it was time to taste the bubbly. I've had Chandon before and I have to say that this will always be my sparkling wine of choice for any special occasion.

During our tasting, they gave us some bread, cheese and fruit preserve to go along with our bubblies. Overall, it was a good day.

Light Dinner @ Movida, Hosier Lane

I'm feeling restless today. I'm pretty sure I need something important done but I'm simply too lazy to work on anything useful now. My senses aren't really keen on absorbing anything so I've decided to sit back and look at some of the pictures we've taken while mom and sis were here.

While closely inspecting the lot, I noticed that I haven't blogged about our dinner at Movida yet. I know I couldn't possibly miss this one but blame it on the busy holidays and after-holiday work that has creeped up once you've gone into the usual work mode but I digress.

I probably won't be able to remember every detail by now in terms of the specific name of the item ordered though I have to admit that whatever you order in Movida will prove to be interesting.

Truffe - this is Manchengo cheese custard with shaved black truffle. It is served in an egg shell and cold, so don't be surprised. I also believe that it should not be eaten on it's own because it will be too salty. I used it as a spread on the bread served on our table. The result was a very subtle and delicate mixture of cold, melting cheese. Think of it as a cheese spread, but posh and spanish.

Tom Cooper's smocked mackerel - I've had Tom Cooper's smoked salmon and it was fantastic. Mackerel, however, was kind of strange sounding to me. But the result was also wonderful. The mackerel itself was sweet and not salty at all. There was no fishiness to it and though the flesh wasn't as oily as salmon, it was firm. The main contrast to it was the cold sorbet on top. This cold sorbet gave the dish that contrast of saltiness with the sweet flesh.

Beef Cheek in Pedro Ximenez and cauliflower puree - I insisted on letting them try the beef cheek tonight. It was a bit tough on the outside but inside was tender. I think in this area, Anada wins hands down. Dessert was churros with a glass of Pedro XimenezOne other thing that kind of disappointed me, was the service. The waiters were sort of rushing you in and out of the door. While we were ordering, our server "suggested" that we start with 2 or 3 tapas, then 4 raciones for dinner. When we ordered just 1 tapas and 2 raciones, he remarked in this manner: "Weren't you listening when I said you should order 4 raciones? They (referring to the raciones) are usually small." I told him that we weren't famished that night and if we were still hungry, we will just add more. He left us alone to order. Maybe it was because of the holidays and considering that it was a Sunday (they opened on Dec27th), still, he shouldn't have worked that day if he's feeling grumpy. So that's my latest Movida experience.