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Römertopf Pork Ribs

March 7, 2014 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Pete read this post over my shoulder as I was drafting it and said, “More Römertopf evangelism?”  Sorry folks, I’m on a roll.. x

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All my friends have gone Römertopf pulled pork crazy.

PeteV has made the dish twice. Carol baked a large pork neck, and the entire two kilo cut was demolished by her family in one sitting. Dredgey managed to get a pork shoulder into his Romy (I still haven’t figured out how) and ended up with meat so tender that he couldn’t lift it out of the pot.

The Spice Girl told me today that she’d made this (with a dozen extra spices added) and her son had requested it for lunch and dinner three days in a row. Our friend and neighbour Will squished a small pork neck into his baby pot, baked it until it was falling apart, then ate it like a caveman.

My friend Lisa, a Römertopf novice, no longer hates me for posting photos that made her son nag her into buying one. On the first night, she made the pulled pork, and on the second, a chicken stew which her family devoured. The ease of cooking in the clay baker surprised both Lisa and Carol – once it’s in the oven, all the hard work is basically done, and after the meal is finished, the pot goes straight into the dishwasher.

Caught up in this wave of enthusiasm, I’ve been trying all sorts of dishes in my well seasoned Römertopf. The latest were these pork ribs, a riff on one of our earlier recipes.

I began by rubbing two large racks of what we call American spare ribs (I think these are known as baby back ribs in the US) with two tablespoons of brown sugar and a tablespoon each of paprika and sea salt…

Following a similar method to the pulled pork recipe, the ribs were layered into the presoaked baker and placed in a cold oven. I turned the temperature to 200C with fan and set the timer for 30 minutes. After that time, I added two cups of hot water and turned the oven down to 150C with fan for a further 1½ hours baking time. The cooked ribs were tender and moist…

I removed the ribs from the pot and spooned over our barbeque sauce marinade:

  • ½ cup tomato passata
  • ¼ cup runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon (4 teaspoons) light soy
  • 1 tablespoon (4 teaspoons) Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon (4 teaspoons) white wine vinegar

They were then placed on a lined oven tray and put back into the oven under the top element to colour up. The end result was delicious – not quite as tender as I’d hoped (I think I overcooked them a bit in the final browning stage), but packed with flavour. My hungry wolves devoured the entire platter’s worth…

I poured all the liquid from the clay baker into a large bowl and put it in the fridge overnight to set. The following day, I scraped off the flavoured fat (which went into a batch of Pan Cubano the day after that) and stashed the two containers of rich jellied stock in the freezer…

A week later, I defrosted some of the stock and used it (plus a little annatto paste), to season a batch of Basmati rice. The end result was this incredibly flavoursome pilaf…

…which we topped with frijoles negros refritos, (defrosted) pulled pork, tomatillo salsa and corn chips…

That’s it for now, folks – I’ll try to give the Römertopf posts a rest for a while!

PS. I buy all my Mexican ingredients online from Sydney-based Fireworks Foods. They have a huge range, great prices and quick delivery!

Posted in Frugal Living, Recipes | 62 Comments »

Bread #101: Sourdough Cookie Cutter Rolls

March 5, 2014 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

I love making sculpted bread rolls, but I know that not everyone has access to the fancy bread stamps that I buy from Chefs’ Warehouse.

I thought it was worth experimenting to see if something similar could be made with cookie cutters. I tried using fluted round cutters (plain ones should be fine as well) and was really pleased with how the rolls turned out. The best results came from using two cutters in tandem – a single small one produced triffid-like protrusions from the middle of the rolls.

  • 300g ripe, active sourdough starter (fed at a ratio of one cup water to one cup flour – for more information on how I feed my starter Priscilla, please see our tutorial here)
  • 580g cold water
  • 500g bakers/bread flour
  • 500g remilled semolina flour (Semola Rimacinata di Grano Duro – if you can’t find it, substitute 00 flour or more bakers flour, and reduce the water to 550g)
  • 18g fine sea salt
  • fine semolina for dusting the bench and dough

1. In a large mixing bowl, use a clean hand to mix the starter, water, bakers flour, remilled semolina flour and salt together to form a shaggy dough. Scrape your fingers off and cover the bowl with clingfilm. Allow the dough to rest for half an hour.

2. After the rest time, give the dough a quick knead in the bowl – literally just a minute or so. Cover it again and allow to rest until it has doubled in size – depending on your starter and the temperature in your kitchen, that could take anywhere from 4 to 10 hours.

3. Dust the bench with fine semolina, and turn out the proved dough.  Give it a few folds, then cut the dough into 125g pieces (you’ll end up with about 15 rolls).  Shape each piece of dough into a tight ball and place it seamside down on a lined baking tray.

4. Dust the top of the rolls with more fine semolina, then place a small and a medium round cookie cutter on the top of each ball. With the palm of your hand, press firmly on both cutters are the same time. Push right through the dough to the tray. Carefully remove the cutters and repeat with the remaining rolls (make sure to dust well with the fine semolina to prevent sticking). Cover the rolls with a tea towel and allow them to prove a second time.

5. Preheat the oven to 240C with fan. Once the rolls have had their second rise, spritz the top of each roll with a little water, then pop the tray into the oven, reducing the oven temperature to 220C with fan at the same time. (As you can see from the photo below, I was also experimenting with other cookie cutter shapes – they didn’t work out as well.)

6. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes, then rotate the tray(s) and turn the oven down to 175C with fan. Allow a further 15 – 20 minutes baking time until the rolls are brown and crunchy.

The rolls aren’t quite as neat and tidy as the ones made with bread stamps, but they were great fun to make, and delicious to eat!

Posted in Recipes | 68 Comments »

Free Ham from Haverick Meats

March 4, 2014 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

A headsup to my fellow Sydneysiders – Haverick Meats have half-legs of ham to give away this Saturday, free with any purchase of $150 or more (while stocks last). That’s a fantastic bargain, and was more than enough incentive for me to drive over to Banksmeadow in the rain last Saturday. (Please excuse the dodgy low-light photo, it was pouring!)

The piece I was given with my purchase was huge, and surprisingly lean. We glazed it with quince jelly and baked it in the oven for forty minutes, then served it with homemade mayo and mountains of mashed potatoes.

I’ve just emailed Havericks to ask them if the offer would be on this Saturday as well, and they’ve confirmed that it will, so I’m passing the information on to you. I have no affiliation with the company whatsoever (other than being a very happy customer) – this deal is just too good not to share!

PS. If you’re going on Saturday, take some extra cash, as they’re now also stocking Pepe Saya butter and Little Generals olive oil. Here’s the post I wrote on Havericks a couple of years ago, and the one by lovely Lorraine which inspired me to visit in the first place!

Posted in Food & Friends | 20 Comments »

Urban Ornithology

March 3, 2014 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

A post for my dear friends Joanna and Brian…

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We have some amazingly colourful birds in Australia. And because of the leafiness of many of our suburbs, whole flocks can often be found in residential areas.

While driving past Ashfield Park last week, I spotted a large number of galahs. Either the grass was going to seed, or the council had thrown seed on the brown patches in an attempt to rejuvenate the lawn, but either way, the birds were feasting…

Galahs are a variety of cockatoo, which in turn is a type of parrot…

Interestingly, the word “galah” is old Aussie slang for a fool…

A few of the birds were happily dustbathing…

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Closer to home, our neighbour Mark is feeding an entire flock of rainbow lorikeets (also a parrot)…

They perch on his clothesline every day at four o’clock and call out to him…

Mark informs me that the ones with redder plumage are males, and the yellower breasted ones are females. He can tell them apart, but I can’t…

The lorikeets are vividly coloured, but the shades vary from species to species…

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Despite appearing drab compared to the parrots, we love our little soldier birds. More correctly known as noisy miners, these native birds are a completely different species to the introduced Indian mynahs (which are invasive pests)…

They’re quite a friendly bird with a distinctive peeping call, and they’ll often let us get quite close to them…

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Pete’s aunt and uncle live in an apartment right in the middle of the city. This sulphur crested cockatoo occasionally stops by to say hello. Thankfully he hasn’t done any damage – cockies can be brutal on wood and outdoor furniture…

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A few previously posted photos – when our lilly pilly tree and camellias are in flower, we’re often visited by red wattlebirds (named for the red flaps on their necks)…

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A few years ago, they were cuckooed into feeding this enormous Australian koel chick…

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Finally, a couple of neighbourhood birds that never stay still long enough for me to get a photo of them!

We have native grey butcherbirds, our local singers. They have a distinct three-note call which everyone on our street knows well (photo below from Wikipedia). At present, there is a breeding pair with a juvenile residing in one of the street trees…

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Equally fast-moving are the Australian magpies that swoop into our yard (photo below also from Wiki). The magpies and butcherbirds are related species…

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If you’re interested in Australian birds, the Birds in the Backyard website has oodles of information, including a fabulous collection of forty bird calls, mostly taped from around the Sydney area. As I’m sitting here drafting this post at 5.45am, I can hear the noisy miners’ dawn calls!

What birds share your neighbourhood with you?

Posted in Garden | 66 Comments »

In My Kitchen, March 2014

March 1, 2014 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

In my kitchen…

…is more Tupperware! As you might recall, my old friend and 500-partner Carol gave me two containers for Christmas…

Well…last week I popped in for a cup of tea, and she announced she’d bought me NINE more pieces at a garage (yard) sale. Half were brand new, the others very lightly used. Pete moaned a bit about storage, but that didn’t stop him from immediately filling up the cereal container with his homemade muesli.

Carol’s big concern was whether or not they’d match the pieces she gave me for Christmas – I adore that woman…

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In my kitchen…

…is more Cuban bread – this time I tried using lemongrass instead of leek leaves to form the split, and it worked brilliantly (thanks for the tip, Spice Girl!)…

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In my kitchen…

…is a gift from our lovely neighbours Nic and Pete. They went skiing in Japan and brought me home this stunning bag – the panels are made with fabric recycled from old kimonos. Nic knows my weakness for a red handbag…

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In my kitchen…

…are the last of this season’s snake beans. They’ve had a glorious run…

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In my kitchen…

…are two new purchases from Harkola. The dried Greek sage was bought on the recommendation of the Spice Girl, who crumbles it into all kinds of savoury dishes…

I adore Linden tea, and usually buy it in Turkish tea bags, so when I saw a bag of the loose dried leaves and flowers (for under $3), I couldn’t resist. The tea is pale, lightly flavoured and stomach settling…

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In my kitchen…

…are extra bits and pieces for my mixer. Robyn’s Kenwood mixer died after more than a decade of use, so she very kindly gave me her accessories. It’s the first time I’ve had a splash guard to fit my D-shaped mixing bowl, and it’s proven to be incredibly useful already. And as all my fellow bakers know, having a spare mixing bowl is such a bonus…

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In my kitchen…

…was this gorgeous piece of papercraft. Monkey Girl (Big Boy’s girlfriend) came over to teach me how to make her Chinese lanterns. “Let’s make one each..” she said. Her design uses twenty-four ang pow wrappers, and she had to stick the fringing on for me, as I’m completely rubbish with a hot glue gun.

When we’d finished both lanterns, the darling girl said, “The one I made can be for Mah-Mah…” My mum was incredibly touched to receive such a precious, handmade gift…

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Tell me, what’s happening in your kitchen this month?

If you’d like to do an In My Kitchen post on your own blog, please feel free  to do so. We’d love to see what’s happening in your kitchen this month!  Please link back to this blog, and let us know when your post is up, and we’ll add it to our monthly listing. We ask that all posts be uploaded by the 10th of each month, please.

Here are this month’s posts:

Bernice @ Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen (Calgary, Canada)

Mel @ The Cook’s Notebook (Brisbane, QLD)

Kim @ A Little Lunch (Oklahoma, USA)

Fiona @ TIFFIN – Bite Sized Food Adventures (Brisbane, QLD)

Andrea @ Shabby Chick (Cotswolds, UK)

JJ @ 84th & 3rd (Sydney, NSW)

Andrew @ Andrew Faith (Blue Mountains, NSW)

Denise @ Magnolia Verandah (first IMK post! Melbourne, VIC)

Rachi @ Le Bon Vivant (Canberra, ACT)

Ella @ Mulberry and Pomegranate (Sydney, NSW)

Zirkie @ Pink Polka Dot Food (Cape Town, South Africa)

Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef (Sunshine Coast, QLD)

Catherine @ Cate’s Cate (Melbourne, VIC)

Linda @ The Witches Kitchen (Northern Rivers, NSW)

Glenda @ Healthy Stories (first IMK post! Melbourne, VIC)

Claire @ Claire K Creations (Brisbane, QLD)

Fran @ Life in the Food Lane (first IMK post! Houston, Texas, USA)

Pat @ A Yorkshire Cook (Yorkshire, UK)

Laila @ Table of Colors (Finland)

Julie @ Once in a Blue Moon 17 (Southern California, USA)

Rebecca @ The InTolerant Chef (Canberra, ACT)

Nancy @ Jamjnr (Shanghai, China)

Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe (Melbourne, VIC)

Marian @ Apricot Tart (Adelaide, South Australia)

Sally @ My Custard Pie (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Judy @ Savoring Today (Colorado, USA)

Selma @ Selma’s Table (first IMK post! London, UK)

Anne @ Life in Mud Spattered Boots (Essex, UK)

Smidge @ Just A Smidgen (first IMK post! Calgary, Canada)

Clare @ The Life of Clare (Geelong, VIC)

Joanne @ What’s on the List? (Adelaide, South Australia)

Francesca @ Almost Italian (Melbourne, VIC)

Lisa @ Gourmet Wog (Sydney, NSW)

Ladyredspecs @ Please Pass the Recipe (Melbourne, VIC)

Diane @ Photographs and Recipes (Massachusetts, USA)

Tania @ My Kitchen Stories (Sydney, NSW)

Charlie Louie @ Hotly Spiced (Sydney, NSW)

Debi @ My Kitchen Witch (formerly Transplanted Cook, Sheffield, UK)

Tandy @ Lavender and Lime (Gordons Bay, South Africa)

Mandy @ The Complete Cookbook (Sundays River, South Africa)

Lisa @ I’ll Be There With A Fork (first IMK post! Brisbane, QLD)

Liz @ Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things (Canberra, ACT)

Tania @ The Cook’s Pyjamas (Perth, Western Australia)

Leah @ Sharing the Food We Love (Brisbane, QLD)

Jane @ The Shady Baker (Broken Hill, NSW)

Jason @ Don’t Boil The Sauce (Melbourne, VIC)

Glenda @ Passion Fruit Garden (Perth, WA)

Misky @ The Chalk Hills Kitchen (West Sussex, UK)

Sally @ Bewitching Kitchen (Kansas, USA)

Kari @ Bite-Sized Thoughts (Western Australia)

Heidi @ Steps on the Journey (Ohio, USA)

Ardys @ Ardysez (Alice Springs, Northern Territory)

Joanna @ Zeb Bakes (Bristol, UK)

Siobhan @ Garden Correspondent (Ulupinar, Turkey)

Choclette @ Chocolate Log Blog (late Feb post – Cornwall, UK)

Jennifer @ My Blissful Journey (late Feb post – USA)

Posted in Food & Friends | 161 Comments »

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