Annabel Langbein's Hazelnut Butter

I am currently in my Annabel Langbein mode which means making everything myself and make it look so effortless. In fact most of Annabel's recipes are idiot-proof. So far I have not made anything from her books that didn't work. If you need to host a dinner party and impress all your guests, Annabel's recipes are the way to go. As much as I love Jamie Oliver, his recipes are more for cooking for yourself or if you need to bring a plate to a potluck. Annabel's recipes will make your friends think that your salads are only made by the vege from your own garden, you can whip up 30 cupcakes and ice them at 2am and cook a Christmas lunch for 12 on short notice. I am not joking here. Please take note that I am in no way related to Ms Langbein other than I watch her cooking programme every Saturday night and I do not benefit in anyway from blogging about her.

Hey Annabel, if you read this please know that I would love to be friends with you and go to your cabin for dinners.

 A couple of weeks ago, I saw this incredible simple recipe for Hazelnut Butter on her new TV show 'Simple Pleasures'. I can't resist. This is super easy to make and almost no skill is needed. The most difficult task is only removing the skins from the hazelnuts but that only took 5 minutes and a resistance from eating the hot roasted hazelnuts whilst at it.

Roast 3 cups of hazelnuts for 15 mins at 180c. Let the roasted hazelnuts cool for a few minutes and spread them onto a tea towel and rub them with the tea towel to remove skin. It's easier to do once the nuts have cooled down a little. You may not be able to remove all the skin from each hazelnut but that's ok.

Put all the skinned hazelnuts into a food processor and pulse. Add 1/3 cup neutral oil i.e canola, grapeseed or sunflower. Add a pinch of salt.

Once you are happy with the consistency, stop pulsing and pour into a glass jar.

                                      

I store my hazelnut butter in an reusable peanut butter jar. The hazelnut butter smells heavenly  like a potent Nutella and very creamy. These are good for a few months because the oil will preserve it. I doubt anyone can resist eating all of it in 2 weeks. The cost of making your own hazelnut butter may not be very much cheaper than buying it from the store but I get a satisfaction from knowing that I can make something so yummy so effortlessly in my own kitchen and with so little fuss. On top of that, I enjoy knowing what's in my food. Next time I will add some cocoa powder to make my own Nutella :)

I am planning to make a batch of these as Christmas presents for my friends. This will make better gifts than the usual Christmas cookies.

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Thanksgiving with FRIENDS and giving thanks.

This is was supposed to be a special post to my readers from USA who are celebrating Thanksgiving last week but I made an error of setting to schedule the post on Thanksgiving but did not hit the 'publish' buttom. Anyway, I still want to share this with all the American readers of my little blog. Thank you for taking the interest in my little blog which details my musings of life in the faraway Auckland. A little late but still better than never. 

I have never celebrated Thanksgiving but my perception of the holiday is always linked to FRIENDS with Rachel's English trifle, Monica's head stuck inside a turkey, the episode with Brad Pitt and Joey wearing Phoebe's maternity pants which he later rebranded as 'thanksgiving pants' as he work on eating a whole turkey on his own.

My favourite has to be the episode with Rachel's trifle when Ross declares the trifle tastes like feet. I love that episode and I can't make myself eat a trifle without thinking about Rachel's trifle with beef and peas,yuck! I'm such a sucker for Friends and still watching it every now and then although it has ended since 2004. I love Modern Family too but it still can't beat 10 seasons of Friends that I grew up with. It's one of the many things that I am thankful for.

Here are a few things that I am very thankful for:

1. Ability to run. Not that I can run fast but at least I can run. My heart and lungs work overtime to cope with the stress I give it but I know with every run, I am getting stronger and better. I run because I can. I am very thankful to have found this sport that I have grown to love so much and committed to do it as long as I can.

2. My BFF who also happens to be my hubs. He'd watch multiple seasons Project Runway with me anytime. Enough said.

3. Family and friends.

4.Auckland. I bitch about the traffic and car drivers but I love this city. I was born in Kuala Lumpur but have made Auckland my home. It's strikingly beautiful and one of the top 10 cities in the world to live in. Expensive but the people are so nice. Ok, I do admit Vancouverites are pretty damn friendly too so it's a tie. But Auckland's got one of the best coffees in the world -alongside Wellington. Sounds bizarre but it's pretty damn true.Starbucks don't get too much love from us.

5.Malaysian food. I think it's one of the most underrated cuisine in the world. Although most Aucklanders that I have met adore Malaysian food but it is still an unsung hero of Asian food. Malaysian food is bursting with flavours and very diverse. Go beyond the habitual Curry Laksa and try the many varieties of what it has to offer.

6.Health. I strongly believe that health stands above wealth. If you're healthy physically and mentally, everything will be ok.  

7.Travels. I have been to quite a few places and can't get enough of travelling. I am thankful that I don't have a fear for flying, can read a map and enjoys all the weird and wonderful experiences that comes my way.

I hope you all had a very good Thanksgiving break with your loved ones.

Are you a fan of FRIENDS? What is your favourite Thanksgiving episode?

Did you go out for a Thanksgiving run?

What do you give thanks for?

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Dark Chocolate Chilli Con Carne with Buttermilk Cornbread

This is a relatively easy recipe that it packs so much flavour and texture it's really worth making a big batch and freezing a few portions. The flavours becomes more intense after a few days. I love making a batch of Chilli Con Carne and freeze some for whenever I am too lazy to cook. The dark chocolate gives it more depth and the toasted dried chillies used in the chilli paste will bring some smokiness into the mix.


For Chilli Con Carne:

1kg topside mince
4 cans of of beans - I used 2 cans of kidney beans, 1 can pinto, 1 can mixed
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
3 tbsp canola oil
2 chopped green capsicums
2 cans peeled tomatoes
2 diced red onions
150gm  quality dark chocolate
1 tsp thyme
salt
pepper

Chilli paste:
4-6 large dried chillies

2 red chillies
2 green chillies (optional)
2 tsp water

1. Toast the chillis on a medium hot non-stick pan until a little burnt.
2. Chuck all the chillies and blitz it with 2 tsp water to form a paste. Set aside to be used later.


To cook the Chilli Con Carne:


1. Saute the diced onions and add in mince to brown. Add in chopped carrots and celery
2. Once the carrots are tender add in the beans and chilli paste and peeled tomatoes and let it simmer for a bit. Season with salt and pepper and then add in the dark chocolate. If you find the chilli con carne is a bit too spicy for your liking, you can add more dark chocolate. This will tone down the heat and add the depth of the flavour.  Let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes and remove from the stove.

Buttermilk Cornbread:

100gm softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 cup cornmeal / polenta
2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt

1.Preheat oven at 180c. Grease a shallow 8 or 9 inch pan
2.Melt butter in microwave for 30 secs. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on your preference how hot your oven gets. I left mine in for 40 minutes because I like the golden crust. Poke with a skewer and see if it comes out clean. Leave it to cool for a few minutes before cutting into squares.

I have used this recipe a few times and I love how easy and tasty it turns out to be. I have used fairly fine grounded cornmeal/ polenta but on the few occasions I have used coarse cornmeal/ polenta and it works fine. I like both. The coarseness gives it more bite and the finer version is very smooth and moist.

I had 4 twin foetus eggs in my batter!  What are the chances??

This recipe will easily yield 4 generous portions. You can cut the cornbread in small squares and heat up in the microwave the next day or lightly grill on a sandwich press and it will be great.

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Cafe Abyssinia: Ethiopian food has arrived in Auckland

I know my wish was granted when I found out 2 weeks ago that an Ethiopian eatery has opened up in Auckland. This is what I have been yearning for years. If you have not sampled any Ethiopian/ Erithrean food you just have to! Why? Do you need a reason for delicious food? 

Ethiopian and Erithrean food are the same. The food, people and culture are the same. The only difference is politics. That's what I have been told both times by an Erithrean and the owner of Cafe Abyssinia. 

We went on a rainy Saturday afternoon and had a bit of difficulty finding the cafe but we found it anyway. No drama. We were warmly greeted by one of the staff and he recommended us to try a Lunch Special. We ordered 2 sets and there were so much food! Not complaining. The portion were generous already and we were offered more sauces and injera bread if we can stomach it. Our orders were served in a large platter and in true Ethiopian tradition, the food is to be shared with your eating partners. Depends on who your eating partners are, I would have a problem to share with another person as greedy as me. But there were more than enough food that I can eat so I am fine. This time.

All the meat were cooked with lots of flavour and I liked the chicken doro wat the most. I was expecting some lentils and veges but there wasn't any. Next time I would order a vegetarian set with the special lunch set because  there were  too much meat. 

Look at how porous the injeras are!! Heavenly!

We can't finish our food and asked for it to be packed and saved ourselves another generous dinner portion. The price range here is between $15 to $17. We vowed to come back for dinner with some friends in the next week or two. What do you do when you find a gem like this? Spread the word and share the joy of being so fortunate to live in a city with such food diversity.

One of the staff/ owner told us that they welcome group bookings and the largest group booking  that they have catered for so far is 18. So bring your friends, family and colleagues here with you the next time. Do give them a ring because the food here are made to order and can take a while if you come in a big group. We waited for about 20 minutes for our food but we were happy to wait for good food. Good things takes time.

The food here are prepared with care and not merely for profits only which is another reason why I love eating out in small family owned eateries. Don't expect to be waited on hand and foot from them. These guys probably never ran a restaurant before and all they want is to share the food from their beloved homeland with the rest of us. Drop in on the weekend with an open mind and let your taste buds roam.

Cafe Abyssinia
 Shop 6,
190 Stoddard Rd, Mt Roskill
Ph: 09-6205599
Hours: 10 am to 10 pm

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Race Recap: Auckland Half Marathon 2012

Last weekend was the most anticipated weekends of all. Even more so than Christmas. Almost.The day that I've been waiting for is finally here. This is ' the race' that all the hardwork and motivation stemmed from and I bet I wasn't the only one. When you are so close to a date that you have marked on your calendar for months, you can't wait for it to come and have it off your mind once it's over. The weather on the day turned out great despite the forecast of showers and rain. In fact, it was almost hotter than last year's. This year's event attracted 16000 people and it's deemed to be the biggest sporting event in NZ. I got there bright and early. Almost exactly 1 hour before the start time. Geek. The atmosphere was electric! Everyone was eager to go out and run it. I was quite far back in the crowd and I couldn't even get into the 'mosh pit' . This is one of the best days I have ran. Not nervous and plenty of eager and willing runners around me and feeling the vibe. There are so many people who can't wait to run. Some with lots of preparation behind them and I am damn sure there are some who are just doing it for fun. This is one of the most prepared race I have ever ran. My body feels strong, my mind is focused and my legs are tired and embarrassed by the amount of Rocktape it's covered with. Haha. Will talk more about that one later.

Before I ramble on and on about the day here is my summary of the race.

1-5k:

I vowed to start easy and not push hard in the first 10k after learning it the hard way from the previous race. First 5ks was easy and I started my run with Black Eyed Peas' "I gotta feeling". Awesome. I maintained 6:40 pace throughout and it felt good. I ran behind a guy with bandaged knees because he was keeping a steady pace and I figured out that if his knees are bandaged he might be running a safe race. I may be wrong but I picked him anyway and hope for the best. I saw lots of people past me and I let them. My mouth was feeling dry. That's not good but I try to ignore it and not let it bother me. There was a guy heaving so heavily that I could hear him with my earphones blaring away. Ok, need to move faster and get away from him now. He is making me nervous.

6-10k:

After cruising through the first 5k, I aim to crank it up to an average of 6:30- 6:35 because I remember going to a running talk once and the guy said that the second half should still be relatively easy. I was feeling strong. My ITB did not bother me, neither did my knees. My lungs are strong and my mind is in a happy place. I overtook Mr Bandaged Knees and went onto my next target, Mr. Yellow socks. He is quicker but easy to keep my distance plus he is almost twice my height. Always good to follow someone much bigger than you to keep him/her in your view. Quite easily. I kept running. This part is becoming fun because there's a lot of kids hi-fiving us along the way. The crowd is in great spirit. I have stopped for 2 drinks by now. I missed out on the Powerade because it was filled with water. Ok fine I will take what is available

10-15k:

Still smiling and waving when I got up the Harbour Bridge.

This when things got interesting. This is where I was told to crank it up quite a bit and have to make a lot of efforts to do so. This is also the beginning of when things start to go pear shape or whatever bad shape. This is also the challenging part where I have to start to run over the Harbour Bridge. I try to retain some energy to get up the bridge because from memory this is where I have to start walking a bit. I don't want to walk at all today I told myself. Whatever it is, I want to keep both legs running to the finish line.I don't care if I have to tumble down the hill or start frothing in my mouth. I aimed to stay below 6:30 and I was able to do so until I start running up the bridge at 14k. I wish that this was a short and sharp hill to climb rather than a gradual one. I start to feel the burn in my hamstrings from running up the bridge. I managed to chew 2 pieces of BLOKs before the bridge and now I am just engaged in running and staying focused on running. So focused that I did not realise that I need to refuel. I have stopped at 3 water stations and still no Powerade. I think this is when my glycogen starts to empty fast. The temperature has gone up and I feel like peeling off my Swiftly top. I wish I had worn a singlet today. There were hardly any wind to cool down my body. Overheated, hungry and dehydrated. Awesome.

15-21k:

I ran down the bridge fast and still feeling strong in my legs. Stopped at 16.5k to drink a cup of Powerade. I had to stop and not jog when I get to the water stations because I can't drink whilst running. I need to learn to do this, along with spitting into the wind. I am getting really thirsty but my mind refuse to stray from focusing on running to the finish line and it refuse to be interrupted. I picked up some speed between 17k and 18k and all of a sudden I had nothing left. My legs, lungs and heart were strong but I just don't have any energy left. It's a weird feeling. I knew that I had less than 3k to go and my once strong mind and spirit disappeared. I keep telling myself 'this is the last time you will ever run this track, give it your all'. My spirit was broken, my body was confused and my mind was tired. At this point, I just passed a woman who was having a seizure and being attended by the ambulance crew. I looked away. I saw a few more people passing out on the side walk. I can't look because it will freak me out and I cannot stop. I was adamant on running all the way to the finish line no matter how awful it feels. I cannot accept walking to the finish line. No, not today. I am so proud of myself that for the very first time I did not stop to pant in a half marathon and I can't do this now. Not in the last 18k and certainly not now. Suddenly the legs just stopped and suddenly felt stuck to the ground. This is getting bad but I start moving it again after a few seconds. I think this is only 600m away from the finish line. I had plans to do a Gangnam Style pose at the finish line but I couldn't muster an ounce of energy. In the last 30m I dug into every single watt in my body and sprinted with 2 other guys to the finish line. It was a moment of blur and for the first time I couldn't smile after I finished a race. I was close to passing out but I managed to pull through by a thread. My time was 2:20:43. Disappointed and a little upset but not broken. I never really like to beat myself up for things that didn't happen the way I wanted it to because I don't see a point. Did I enjoy the race? Very much. The time was disappointing. My strategies were silly but I was happy because for 80% of the race I was feeling strong. I am grateful to finish every race and whatever goals that was not achieved will have its place in the future. I don't like to blame anything or anyone. I made dumb decisions not to hydrate and nourish well and I have to pay for it. I learn that big time now. I just feel that I have disappointed myself a bit for it was such a great race. I learnt later than nutrition plays a 70-80% role in your performance. Hahh..if only I thought of it before the race. Another huge lesson learnt. 

Aside from my finish time, I have really enjoyed the race. Thanks to the sponsors, organizers and hundreds of volunteers who made this event so enjoyable. It was such a blast.

What was the best lesson you've learnt in a bad race?

Do you think you eat or drink enough during a race?

What are your race strategies?

Have you got any running/ eating/ partying planned for the weekend?

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