Air fryer buttered sourdough bread

 

To revive sourdough bread, the best way is to spread butter on both sides and grill. Air fryer did the job in 10 minutes, turn over half way, perfect golden, crispy on the outside soft inside toast.

Lamb chops

After 3 weeks of unseasonal rain and wind, finally fine weather comes back. To celebrate this first calm evening, we brought some lamb chops and beef hanger steak to cook at the lake side barbecue. Everything tasted better in that environment. 

 

Beautiful evening sky on the walk back home.  

Turbot

The best turbot this year, a nearly 2 kg one, very thick in the middle and nice fat fin muscles. This bigger size, good for 2 meals for the 2 of us, is far tastier than the 1kg plus size. 

As usual I season with salt, bake at 200˚C for 12 minutes, leave the oven door ajar and rest for 10 minutes. 

Pizza gathering

Nice to have friend over for a meal together, created some pizza based on what I have in the garden. 

1. Pizza with confit garlic sauce, scallion and sesame

2. Pizza with tomato sauce, when ready, top with semi-dried tomatoes, fresh basil in olive oil 

3. Pizza with miso cream sauce, fresh pea and Spanish Iberia ham mince, cheese and sprinkle with chive flower before serving

4. Pizza with mustard cream sauce, honey fermented garlic slices for the crunch and sweetness, lamb mince seasoned with 5 spices powder, chili powder, salt and pepper, lastly coriander. 

Returning young sea trout

Fisherman brought back 2 young brown trouts from fishing in the river upstream from sea. They still have that purplish silver sheen typical of sea trout, and will loose it when staying in the river for a longer time. 

I seasoned with salt and white pepper overnight, drizzle with olive oil, wrapped in baking paper and bake at 200˚C for 12 minutes, just right. Beautiful pinkish flesh and very tender. 

Some pieces of flesh is reserved to make an amuse bouche for friends coming over for a meal. I served with seaweed caper sauce topped with semi dried cherry tomatoes. 

Protected fruit trees and bushes

The cherry, plum trees and blueberry, gooseberry bushes are bearing fruits. The only way to stop birds from pecking them to check if they are ready, and eventually eating all of them, is to cover with mesh. Looking forwards to summer fruits harvest to start. 

The 3 years old Cox orange pippin is bearing more fruits this year, a very delicious apple with good balance of sweet and acidity, with crunchy texture. 

One pan cook lamb shoulder and veg

Season lamb with salt, black pepper and lots of cumin grain for a few hours. At medium heat, sear fat side down first, with bell pepper cut into strips around. When pepper starts to soften, add stalks of Kallan to cook in the rendered lamb fat. 

Turn lamb over and add Kailan leaves, cover with lid. When Kailan cooked, remove from pan, and continue cooking lamb until ready, I like pink in the middle. 

Artichoke

A bit late this year due to cooler weather, but the harvest of artichoke flower buds are in full swing. I like to serve it for lunch as the carb to fill the stomach. 
Steam for 20-30 minutes, eat slowly the nugget from the base of each bracts until the flower receptacle. Sometimes I make a pesto to go with it, but most of the time i just enjoy the natural nutty flavour.

Venison lap

Lamb or venison lap are best enjoyed by slow cooking, in the oven is the easiest. I season this venison lap with dried herbs and curry powder, salt for a few hours. 
Preheat oven to 200˚C and bake for 20 minutes, lower temperature to 120˚C bake for another 1.5 to 2 hours depending on size. Cooked through and meat fall off bones. 

Tomato chutney

Barbecue pork sausages and made some chutney to go with form homemade tomato sauce instantly. Simply mix tomato sauce with marmalade, soy sauce, chilli sauce and that’s it.

River walk

 

五月中暴熱幾天後，回復初春的濕冷，強風陣雨，十來度的，日日烏雲，太陽又再次無影無蹤。

見到有個尚未下雨的早上，即刻到Castleconnell 河畔走走，真的需要轉個環境郁動下。先沿著澎湃河道走一段，過橋，穿過農地，來到上游以前的大宅園，可在高處往下看河道。

 

園內種有很多Yew紫杉樹，多年風吹雨打欠照顧，東歪西倒兼扭曲，而仍然生存長枝葉，充滿複雜的線條。

 

回程見到一方藍天，似個瑩光幕，藍天白雲青草地，只是那麼幾分鐘，已經好感動。

Spit roast lamb shoulder

Dull drizzling weather, still have to find something different to do. Decided to spit roast lamb shoulder on wood charcoal outdoor. 

First marinate with salt, pepper, spices, olive oil and lots of fresh rosemary. I used a pointy pen knife to cut into the meat at regular spacings, then push in rosemary soaked in the seasonings, looks great. 

The slow gentle cooking took 1.5 hours for a pink result, marinate got inside the meat, very effective way to season thick cut of meat. 

Second sprouts of Kailan

The only benefit of having cold weather is that the new sprouts from the leaves nodes of Kailan after the first cuts are growing well, reasonably good size, offering a continuous supply of leafy greens. 

Beetroot in 4 ways

Harvested a good size beetroot from the greenhouse, sowed in mid March. The leaves are big and petioles fat, decided to use them separately. 

Half of the beetroot baked with bell pepper and herbs 

The other half used to make beet kvass drink, by cutting into cubes and ferment in 2% brine It took 4 days for the fermentation to bubble away. Nice umami salty sour flavour.

The leaves are used in soup.

Petiole cut into cubes and salted at 2% for 2 days to soften and ferment, then used in soup.

One pot cooked lamb saddle and veg

Feeling lazy, used the air fryer to cook veg and meat at the same time. 

Season veg with salt, olive oil and garlic paste, place at bottom of air fryer. On the rack, place salt, black pepper and spices marinated lamb saddle with rosemary cuttings below. Cook for 25 minutes (turnover meat after 15 minutes) and rest for another 5 minutes inside air fryer. 

Rosemary charred steak

Saw a brief dry evening, went down to the lake to have bbq, simply a pieces of ribeye with lots of rosemary, served with home salads.