Abercrombie & Feast

Last November, I got homesick.  Big time.  Living abroad is a great adventure, and I wouldn’t trade this life we have for the world.  But, every now and then I miss the USA and all the lovely people in it.  So, after a few glasses of wine one Thursday night in October, I decided I was going back to the States for Thanksgiving.  I booked my flight, packed lightly (shopping!) and hopped on a plane to LAX.  My gorgeous husband joined me for the first (and loooongest) leg of the flight, then we split up… he flew to Atlanta to be with his family, and I met my parents in Rhode Island to celebrate with my grandfather.

Oh man, we had fun.  And oh man, did we eat well.  Seafood, clam chowder, turkey, sweet potato casserole good enough to make you slap yo’ mama.  We mostly stuck to the classics, as Americans tend to do around the holidays.  But, when we experimented with a new recipe to enjoy one afternoon by the fire, we hit on a huge winner, and a new classic in my house.  Behold, the Newport Cheese Puff….

I will admit, I have no idea where this recipe came from, so I’m sure I should be giving credit to someone and I’m not.  Sorry!  I do know that these are easy to make with things you probably already have on hand, are a really simple party snack and are goooooood. 

I’ve since made these numerous times for a wide variety of occasions.  Sunday afternoon snack, easy first course for a dinner party (just add some salad greens), game-time finger food… these puffs fit the bill no matter what the event. 

I am going home to Georgia this year for Thanksgiving- the first time I’ve been home in over 2 years.  I am looking forward to it so much.  I know these cheese puffs, and so many other gorgeous, nostalgic dishes will be on the menu. 

Newport Cheese Puffs

Makes 20-25 puffs
1 loaf plain white bread
3 egg whites
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbs mayo
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
chilli powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste
paprika

Preheat your oven to 180C or about 350F. 

Cut out small (1-2 inch) rounds of white bread, avoiding the crusts (you can save the crusts for bread crumbs later!)

Whip egg whites until stiff.  Carefully mix in mayo, cheese, garlic powder, chilli powder, salt and pepper.

Spoon the egg white mix unto bread rounds.  Sprinkle with paprika and bake about 10-12 mins or until golden brown. 

Last Sunday, after walking through the cold, drizzly afternoon to get to the cinema and indulging in the Sex and the City movie- light, fluffy, slightly cheesy at best- I was ready for a warm, hearty, meaty dinner.

(I was also inspired to immediately go buy two new pairs of shoes, but that is a totally different story!)

We have a bit of a Sunday ritual around here.  Sunday afternoons provide us with the opportunity to make more complicated or elaborate dinners, or even to just start something yummy and leave it to simmer all afternoon while we read or watch a movie.  Add to that a bottle of really nice red, Grey’s Anatomy and lots of cuddling.  Sunday is honestly my favourite day of the week.  It’s also a great way to ease back into the week.

So, for this lazy Sunday evening- lamb shanks it was!

We didn’t eat a lot of lamb until we moved to Australia, but now I absolutely love it.  Lamb is tasty, easy to cook and available in most shops around us.

These shanks were started around 5.30pm on a rainy Sunday afternoon and by 8.30pm we had a delicious dinner that honestly required minimum fuss.  A few minutes of work at the beginning followed by a long, slow simmer and dinner is ready.  As Carrie Bradshaw would say, “I couldn’t help but wonder… should it really be this easy?”

Lamb shanks for a Sunday evening

Serves 2
Leave these on to simmer for a while- 2 hours at least- and you’ll have a truly fine dinner for the cooler months.  We served them with cubed roasted potatoes and pumpkin.  Although, as Andy pointed out, the shanks would have been better with mashed potatoes.  There was a ton of gorgeous juice left over from the shanks and a pile of mashed potatoes would have really done that justice.  Oh well, next time!

2 lamb shanks- ask your butcher to “French” them.  This just means removing most of the meat and fat from the top of the bone
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
salt and pepper to taste

Place a large pan with a lid over medium heat.  Add 1/2 the oil.  Season the lamb shanks with course salt (I used Maldon, but use whatever you have) and cracked pepper.  When the oil is hot add the shanks to the pan and brown them on all sides.  Remove the shanks from the pan and allow to rest on a plate.

Add the rest of the oil.  Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes.  Then add the garlic and cook for a further 4-5 minutes.  Pour in the wine and stir until the wine has reduced by about 1/2.  Add the tomato paste and stir for another minute.

Return the lamb shanks to the pan.  Pour in the beef stock.  Top up the pan with enough water to mostly submerge the lamb shanks (it’s ok if a few little bits are sticking out.)

Turn the heat down to low, put the top on the pan and allow to simmer for at least 2 hours.  Taste the broth occasionally to determine if you’d like more salt or pepper (I added more of both about half way through the cooking time.)

Lamb shanks are ready when the meat is falling off the bone and smells so good you can’t wait any longer to eat!

When I was a kid my father told us horror stories starring his mother’s pork chops.  Shoe leather was the most common flavour invoked when discussing those pork pucks of old.  These stories have haunted me and I have always been a bit wary of cooking pork of any kind.

A few nights ago Andy and I had a few friends around to our new apartment for dinner.  It was a bit of a housewarming and a bit of a way to say thanks to some mates who helped us move into our new place.

We started the evening with cannellini bean bruschetta.  This is a super easy and simple starter that can usually be made with things already hanging around in our kitchen.  The bruschetta was great- spicy, crunchy and hearty.  In fact, it may have been the best part of the meal!

For a main course I bought a big pork loin.  We have a wonderful butcher near our new place, so I got him to prepare the pork loin for me and to score the fat for making crackling.  I was so excited!  I’ve never even attempted crackling before.  I rubbed olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic on the pork loin, poured some cider into the roasting pan and put the whole thing in the oven.

The pork crackling came out brilliantly.  The potatoes were soft and soaked up some of the cider.  The braised red cabbage was savoury and colourful and still a bit crunchy.

But… the pork.  Dry.  Not terrible, but not moist and juicy either.  I was excited by the rest of the meal, but the pork really let me down.  And then I thought, “Maybe it’s not my fault!”  Maybe I can’t control my inability to cook pork any more than I can control my height or my eye colour.  Could it be a legacy from my grandmother?  A dry pork gene??  That must be it.

Cannellini Bean Bruschetta

Serves 6 as a starter
As I’ve said, this may have been the big hit of the evening.  Although, the crackling went over very well also (as pork fat tends to do.)  This recipe doesn’t contain any pork fat, but it’s pretty great anyway.

Two 400g cans of cannellini beans
2 red chillis
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 baguette
1 garlic clove

Drain the beans and rinse under cool water.  Finely chop the chillis (remove the seeds for less heat.)  Mix the chillis and the basil through the beans.  Add the lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well and let them rest for a few minutes to let the flavours mingle.

Meanwhile, slice the baguette into 1/2 inch thick pieces.  Toast until warm and beginning to brown.  Once toasted, rub each slice lightly with the garlic clove.

Top each slice with a spoonful of the bean mixture and a drizzle of olive oil.