Abercrombie & Feast

We’ve just returned from a long weekend in Mudgee, NSW to celebrate Australia Day.  Australia Day is a little bit like the 4th of July… big summer holiday with lots of BBQ’s, heat and fireworks.  We didn’t see any fireworks, but we did sweat a lot and cook on the barbie, so I guess we did ok.

Mudgee is about 4.5 hours from Sydney and is known for making some great red wines.  It is also, in my opinion, in possession of a hilarious and fun-to-say name.  This was actually our second trip to Mudgee and we had a blast.  We went with our friends Steve and Maja, got a little apartment near town, tasted wines all day and drank wine while watching the Australian Open all night.  With the glaring exception of a wedding / bar fight that we witnessed on the first night, it was a quiet and relaxing weekend away.

 We used the barbie in our little back yard for every meal, which was both delicious and very Australian of us.  On Saturday night, we enjoyed prawns marinated in lemon, garlic, chilli flakes, salt, pepper and olive oil as a starter.  Perfectly cooked (thanks Steve!), the prawns were gorgeous with a cold glass of white wine at the end of a scorching day.  These pics aren’t great, but I’d already enjoyed a few glasses of that white wine by this point. 

Steve throws another prawn on the barbie

Continuing the streak of light and delicious food that’s perfectly matched for crisp, lemon-y white wine, we enjoyed skewers of marinated chicken, chunks of capsicum (bell pepper) and haloumi cheese.  The skewers were so nice served over a small bed of white rice and eaten outside, dodging the grasshoppers.  A few pieces of the haloumi escaped from their skewers, but we forgave Steve for that.  He’d had plenty of wine, too.  I didn’t get a picture of the skewers after they were cooked (we were pretty hungry), but here’s a shot of the skewers all prepped and ready to be grilled. 

We also had toast for brekkie, eggs cooked on the barbie, a cheese plate for lunch and sandwiches for a late afternoon filler.  The food was simple, but that’s what you want when it’s hot outside.  Lots of cold white wine doesn’t hurt, either. 

We’re off on holiday tomorrow!  So excited!  We’ll be spending Christmas on the beach, sipping fruity drinks and reading good books. 

Every year we escape Sydney for the week of Christmas.  I hate the idea of sitting in our apartment alone on Christmas day, so we hit the road instead.  It’s really odd, and kind of hard, to not see our families at this time of year.  So, last night, we did the next best thing.  We invited our “Sydney family” over for a night of festive food, funny movies and holiday cheer. 

I want to keep this post short- I still have bathing suits to pack!  Here are two recipes that we enjoyed last night with our lovely mates.  Both are tasty, pretty and seasonal.  I hope you feel like celebrating, too!

Mulled wine

Serves 6
1 bottle dry red wine (I used a cab merlot)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup water 
1 large orange, thinly sliced into rounds 
1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds
2 cinnamon sticks, slightly crushed
6 whole cloves

Place the wine, sugar, brandy, water, orange, lemon, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a large saucepan over low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes or until sugar dissolves and mixture is aromatic. Do not boil- you’ll burn off the alcohol and then, what’s the point??  Remove from the heat and let stand for several hours.  I made my mixture in the morning before work and let it sit all day to infuse.

Before serving, drain the wine so you’ve removed all the solids.  You can keep a few slices of orange and lemon for decoration, but you don’t want shards of cinnamon sticks floating in your glass. 

Return the drained wine to the pan and heat gently.  Serve warm. 

Chicken salad with cranberries and walnuts

Serves 6 as part of a meal or 2 for a big lunch
2 chicken breasts
2tbs mayo
3-4 tbs plain yogurt
1/3 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 tsp ground sage
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by poaching the chicken breasts.  I have made this chicken salad so many times, with all manner of leftover chicken.  But, if you don’t have leftover chicken, poaching is a fast and easy way to get the chicken you need for this salad.  Put the chicken breasts in a pot.  Cover with water and bring to a simmer.  Allow to simmer for about 15-20 mins, or until cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the water and let cool.  Once it’s cool enough to handle, shred the chicken with two forks.  Easy!

While the chicken is poaching, put the walnuts in a dry frying pan.  Place the pan over medium high heat and toast the nuts until they are a deeper brown and they smell great.

Mix the cooled, poached chicken with the mayo and plain yogurt.  I should point out that I loathe mayo, so don’t worry if you don’t like it.  You won’t even taste it in this recipe!  The plain yogurt provides the needed moisture without overwhelming the taste of the other ingredients.

Add the cranberries and walnuts and mix well.  Add the sage and stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste (I like plenty of both in this recipe.) 

Serve in sandwiches for lunch, or on slices of toasted baguette for a party.