Despite the damage done to my pan – and my thumb - the
chutney is delicious. The long, hot summer has left the feijoas smaller but
sweeter than other years, but as with our plum trees, I never know what to do
with the hundreds of feijoas that our two trees produce. There’s only so many
feijoas you want your two young children to eat, only so many feijoa crumbles
you can guzzle. So I was pleased to hear of a chutney recipe that required two
kilograms of the fruit. Basically, the chopped feijoas are boiled - skin and
everything - with dates, chillis, ginger, limes, lemons, honey, apple cider
vinegar and a whole host of spices and other goodies. Feeling very smug as I
filled jar after jar with the stuff, I then confronted the inevitable question
that probably faces every chutney, jam and preserve maker: what do I do with
all these jars?
So far I’ve discovered my spiced feijoa and date chutney
works well in baguette sammies, on crostinis with a slab of brie, and also as a
filling for pinwheel scones. That’s three uses and approximately half a jar.
Only six and a half to go. Any ideas? Any takers?
I’m well aware that this foray into feijoa is the first mention
of baking to make its way onto the blog in a long time. I’ve been baking away
of course, but nothing particularly new and adventurous and worth talking
about...
...until our recent trip to Hoi An, Vietnam, where we went
for the wedding of our good friends, Johanna and Aidan. It was an amazing, relaxing,
hot, kids-free, friends-filled time spent in a culinary and shopping paradise.
Suffice to say we had fun. Amid hen and stag parties and getting clothes
tailored Neil and I found time to do a cooking class. While not strictly
baking, it was definitely a different sort of kitchen experience and warrants a
mention on this blog.
Having ventured into the pungent and noisy (think clucking
chickens) Hoi An food market a few times, I was happy to forgo a trip to the
market with the chef to pick the ingredients. I know this was opting out – I will
clearly never be a Masterchef contestant - but once we found ourselves upstairs
in the kitchen above the restaurant, with our lovely chef Lam, I was in my
element. We made spring rolls, pork and prawn rice pancakes and a beef noodle
soup (or pho).
As we begin our lesson, Neil informs Lam that I am an
excellent cook. For a second I consider being humble and rejecting the praise,
but then decide, no dammit, I’ll take it, I am awesome, thank you very much.
For all Lam knows I could be Annabel Langbein on some intrepid, undercover
mission. At this point Lam hands me a carrot and a peeler and I fumble with it
like I’ve never held a peeler. Or seen a carrot. Very embarrassingly, Lam has
to show me how to peel a carrot, while Neil smirks beside me. I’m fairly
certain Lam worked out I wasn’t Annabel at that point. It seems pride does come
before a fall, whatever language you’re talking.
I then tried to redeem myself with my deft knife handling
and nifty wok work, but Lam did not seem particularly impressed. The end result
was great, however – the spring rolls were especially delicious. Of course, the
real test is being able to replicate at home, and my first attempt was not
baaaaad, but I’m looking forward to having another bash.
Meanwhile, the ads for New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker have
started appearing and I must admit to overwhelming relief at not seeing myself
on the screen, dropping cupcakes and whatnot. I am quite looking forward to
being an armchair critic after all.
TTFN x
Your feijoa and date chutney sounds delicious! Be grateful to have so many feijoas. We don't have that luxury here in the deep south. I managed to score a few feijoas when I was up in Nelson so am savouring every last one! I think the chutney might go beautifully with cold meat. Also toasties with cheese & chutney?
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