Mediterranean Potatoes

Description:
Just another personal favourite I wanted to share………

Ingredients:
6 medium Potatoes (900 grams)
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 large cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
Chili powder OR Cayenne Pepper (to taste, I usually use about 2 teasps)
Several sprigs of fresh Thyme, Rosemary or Sage
½ teasp Salt OR 2 teasps chopped Capers
1 Tbsp chopped Anchovies (optional)
2 Tbsps Caper Vinegar OR Balsamic Vinegar
¼ cup chopped Parsley
Black Olives (optional)


Directions:
Scrub the potatoes to remove all the dirt, then cut lengthwise into large chunky wedges or chips. Rinse or stand in cold water, pat dry.

Heat the oil in a large frypan, add the prepared potatoes & toss to coat in the oil. Cover the pan and cook over a moderate heat for 20 mins*, turning at five minute intervals, until the potatoes are barely tender and lightly browned.

*At the 10 minute mark add the garlic, sprinkle the potatoes with the chili or cayenne pepper & mix well. Put in several sprigs of your chosen herb & the salt or the capers, then replace the lid.

As soon as the potatoes are tender remove the sprigs of herbs, add the anchovies (if you are using them) & then the caper or balsamic vinegar. Cook for a further 10 minutes, with the lid off, turning occasionally.
Mix the chopped parsley and olives through the potatoes just before serving.

This makes a really nice change from plain wedges. I sometimes substitute half of the potatoes for kumara (sweet potato), sliced the same way. I’m not a fan of anchovies or olives so I just leave them out. If I don’t have capers on hand I don’t mind the salt/balsamic option. A generous dollop of sour cream on the side is a nice way to dress these potatoes.

Gaau ji (2004)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Foreign

Also known as Dumplings (English Title) Nouvelle Cuisine (French Title)

Plot Synopsis;
It seems that few woman can resist the temptation of potential rejuvenation - for some it's a dreamy blissful chase, yet for others a never-ending nightmare of endless pursuit. But Mrs Lee can afford it all. An ex-starlet turned wife of a prominent rich man, she is destined to have this dream come true. She uses a lot of connections to get to the mysterious chef, Mei to obtain her famous specialty dumplings. At stake is her new "career" as a housewife of the rich. Mei's dumplings claim to deliver the goods. Mei, a former gynecologist, developed a secret recipe for rejuvenation which has allowed her to bid farewell to her career as an illegal abortionist. Now Mei only serves desperate rich women. Mei understands a woman's need and she can fulfill a woman's desire -- all you need is a leap of faith to take a bite into her special dumplings with their secret ingredient.

What I thought;
It’s nice to get away from mainstream movies from time to time. This movie by Chinese director Fruit Chan is definitely not what I would call conventional in content and in it’s lack of special effects. Christopher Doyle did a great job creating atmospheric cinematography, using some superb camera angles.

Not exactly a horror film, but definitely not one for the squeamish. The audience is gradually let in on the secret ingredient and the details grow more and more gruesomely explicit. This is definitely not a film that I'll need to, or even want to, view over and over again, but who said that good films are only measured by the number of times one can enjoy them?

Should you watch it? The only recommendation I can give, is that it's an interesting experience seeing what film makers produce outside of the Hollywood studio system.

Scones - just perfect for a Devonshire Tea

Description:
Some of my strongest memories of my mother when I was a young child was spending many companionable hours in the kitchen with her on baking day. My mother didn’t believe that store bought biscuits or cookies were good for us so everything was home-made. Mind you I’m not complaining, she was an excellent cook and baked a variety of biscuits, slices and cakes to feed a horde of hungry children. All of us were required to do a couple of hours each in the kitchen with her on Saturdays, helping to measure ingredients, making the cookies or icing them and dish pan duty. Usually around midday she would quickly throw together a batch of savoury or plain scones, some muffins or maybe pancakes or French toast.

My favourite was always when she did plain scones and we would have our own Devonshire tea party. (in case you don’t know what this is, a Devonshire tea consists of scones, halved & then spread with clotted cream and strawberry jam) We didn’t quite stick to the authentic tea, we used to apply lashings of butter then jam (usually strawberry or raspberry) and then add a dollop of whipped cream (can I say ewww to clotted). They were divine!

I can’t tell you how many times over those years I tried to make my own scones following my mothers recipe but after many many failures I just gave up trying. My results were usually inedible, athough I will say my brothers just loved them……they used to play this vicious type of tag (usually with a couple of cricket balls, but my scones hurt just as bad lol).

About 10 years ago I was watching a tv cooking show, I think the chef was a lady called Jo Seager, and she claimed to have an “easy fail-safe” scone recipe. I was sitting there thinking yeah right lady, you have no idea who you are dealing with here…. But I did pay attention & noted the recipe down thinking I might just give this one last ditch effort.

I waited patiently one day until my family were going to be out of the house for a few hours, there was no way I was going to risk being humiliated by my certain failure. I think I had even mentally drafted the nasty letter to the television chef telling her what a crock of shit her programme was lol.

Well I found the recipe very easy to throw together and in no time at all I had a batch of scones that actually looked and tasted like the real McCoy. I make these all the time now & have never had a failure since.

I hope if you do try this recipe you enjoy them as much as I still do.


Ingredients:
4 cups self raising flour

300 ml cream (1 ¼ cup US)

1 can of soda (355 ml) the original recipe stated lemon & paeroa but as that is only available in NZ so use lemonaide, sprite or 7up instead.

½ teaspoon salt


Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until you have formed a smooth dough. Tip out onto a well floured surface & roll or flatten dough to a thickness of 5cm. Cut into squares or press out shapes with a round cookie cutter. Arrange on a baking tray (I find I don’t need to grease the tray) & bake @ 220°c (425 °f) for approx 15-20 mins until golden in colour & cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve whilst still warm with jam or preserve of your choice & whipped cream. They are also nice if you garnish with fresh fruit & cream.