Hello, I'm pg and I'm a...

phaffer.

I come from a long line of phaffers. My Mum's a phaffer, my father was a world-class phaffer, and I fear my children have inherited the phaff gene.

So, I'm home from work, I've completed my nighly phaff (clean the kitchen in prep for starting dinner, put on load of washing, answer personal emails), I've got me a brandy and dry, to ease me into the weekend, and as one does, a goddess' thoughts turn to dinner.

Here's what's happening on the stove right now:

 

Not a bad action shot, hey? Further to my impening move to Saudi Arabia, I've sprinkled them with a mix of Rasa al'Hanout. I'm thinking of mandhi smoking them, once they've melted a bit.

And in true phaffer style, I'm not too sure where I am going with this, but I'll let you know.

Addendum:

In true phaffer style, I took inspiraion from last weeks broad bean bruscetta, and created this:

See, that's what phaffing is all about. It's opening the 'fridge half a dozen times and weighing up how well saganaki would fo with broadbeans. It'd about starting off with a Middle Easten profile and the realising that the last of the shredded smoked chicken would  totally work with that! It's about World's Best Son, the Lima Bean sniffing and tasting and choosing to add some smoked sea salt and fennel.

And while phaff-style cooking doesn't always work, and is NOT for the faint-hearted, when it comes together, as last nights "smoked chicken, broadbean, saganaki and slow roasted tomato bruscetta" did, it's worth it!

I'm like a baracuda with ADHD

Yes, I KNOW I said I was on a Middle Eastern thang, but seriously,sometimes all someone has to do is wave something bright and shiny in front of me and KAPOW.... my tangential brain skewers off in a random and new direction.

Middle East Mindy cooking which WAS on the hob for dinner last night, got put on the..err... back burner because the very delicious Jules from Stone Soup and the equally moorish Kathryn from Limes & Lycopene tempted me via a random tweet.

I intercepted a tweet about salt and vinegar potatoes. Not chips, potatoes.

Now my love for all things crunchy and salty and starchy is well known. But add vinegar into the mix and you had me at white/malt/apple/cider.

I was one of those weird kids who drank vinegar out of the bottle. One of my favorite smells is a slow boiling pot of balsamic vinegar, with maybe a star anise and a cinnamon quill.

So, as much as I was planning practicing my Mandi smoking technique, I had no option but to be culinarily kidnapped by these two enablers and just HAD to try the recipe.

Please note, my camera in in transit, on its way to Dubai, as we speak, so this is an old stock photo. But last night's end result was almost identical to the header pic for this post. But the smell, oh god.. the glorious, GLORIOUS SMELL! Go out and buy a packet of Kettle Chip Slow Cooked Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar Chips. Sit in front of this post, open on your computer. Close your eyes. Put the bag of chips close to your face. Open the packet, stick your schnozz in the bag, inhale deeply and open your eyes.

THAT"S what they tasted like.

Cut 8 waxy potatoes into slices. I used tiny Dutch Creams, almost chat size, and cut them not into slices, but into chucks.

Place them in a medium saucepan and cover fully with vinegar. I used a small bottle of white wine vinegar and some mirin to add a touch of sweetness.

Bring to the boil and cook for 5 mins, until JUST fork-tender.

Allow to cool in the vinegar.

Remove from liquid and dry on a clean tea towel.

Place in a single layer in a baking dish, liberally dotted with duck fat.

Place in a hot over (200c) and cook for 5 mins until the duck fat has melted. Toss potatoes until covered in duck fat.. you want them nice and glossy. Sprinkle liberally with flaky salt and fresh pepper. Return to oven and cook for a further 20 mins, shaking the pan frequently.

Potatoes should be nicely browned all over, with luscious crunchy bottoms.

Serve with a roasted free range chook with a handful of thyme and an orange up its bum.

Look, It's complicated.

Look, it's complicated, ok.

Lots of people are asking me about it, and that's all I can say.

It changes from day to day.

Last night it was so warm and nurturing, but who knows? Tonight the whole thing might have changed. Hell, it could end up all hot and spicy!

We're both very different, with different tastes, and I guess it really depends on what we, individually, bring to the table.

People think that it's hard, but it's not really. It all depends on how much you want to commit to it. And you need to remember that is doesn't happen quickly, It needs time to develop and evolve. It, quite literally, needs time to marry.

But we're BOTH committed to improving it. Every day, bit by bit, as long as it lasts.

As long as meets our needs.

I mean, I wanted it this morning, but he didn't. He's more of an late-afternoon kinda guy. He couldn't stomach the thought of it before about 11am.

And then there are the kids to think about. They need their needs met, too.

I mean, so many people are affected by the decisions we make about this, we need to factor ALL of those things in.

So, like I said, It's complicated. Only because there are so many ingredient to it. It's really NOT that complicated, I guess.






PG's "It's Complicated" Soup.
2 zucchinis sliced.
2 carrots slices.
1/2 a pumpkin, cubed.
4 HUGE field mushrooms, sliced.
1 large red onion, sliced.
1/4 red cabbage, sliced.
1 red capsicum, diced.
1 can kidney beans,
7 whole tomatoes, skin scored.
100g fresh peas.
2 litres chicken stock.
1 large can tomato puree/pasata
1 glass white wine.
200g small shell pasta
6 large GOOD QUALITY sausages, browned in oo. ( I used lamb and pesto ones from Leo's)

Dice and fry off the first seven ingredients, until softened and the onion is golden. Whack in a large pot with all the other ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer, Cook for 20 mins or until the tomatoes have broken down. ( I add the pasta about 10 mins before serving)

Add some old parm rinds, if you have any.

Cut the snags into four with a pair of chicken shears.

Serve with parm and crusty bread.

This combines two of my favourite things!

I'm not much of a sweet tooth. I'd rather slam my face into a slab of brie or a good stanky blue that eat a chocolate bar. But I do have a soft spot for 2 things. Ice cream and Turkish delight. I tasted the real deal in Istanbul in the 80's, but I will happily settle for cheap, nasty faux Turkish delight. There is something about the chewy rosy jammy texture, that I just can't get enough of.

So when Mater Beige turned up at our Eostre-fest with this Marshmallow, raspberry, Turkish Delight and pistachio ice cream cake, I knew I was going to be hooked.

2 litres good quality Premium vanilla ice cream
500g of vanilla custard (Mater Beige made her own, and you could tell)
300g of frozen raspberries, partially thawed and crushed with a fork
200g Turkish Delight, chopped,
100g marshmallows, chopped
1 cup pistachio kernels, roughly chopped.
Extra Turkish delight, pistachios and raspberries to serve.

line base and sides of a 22cm spring form tin with baking paper.
Remove ice cream from 'fridge. Transfer to large bowl and set aside to soften (Do not allow to melt completely)

Add custard and mix well.
Fold in raspberries, Turkish delight, marshmallows and pistachios.
Spoon into spring form pan and freeze for 24 hours.
Release side of tin and transfer cake to cake stand. Top with extra bits and serve.

Really REALLY awesome!