Winter is Coming ... Lamb Roast!

Since Lisa's recent post, the Basterds have had a bit of a geographical change. Lisa's now in NYC, Gloria's in L.A., and I'm in New Zealand. That just means more varied and tasty experiences to be had!

So scratch the title of this post. Winter is mufuggin' HERE. Contrary to Lisa's post about summer in NYC, it is winter in New Zealand. It is cold as a witch's teet (whatever the hell that means). So today I'll post a recipe that is fit to be eaten in front of a wood-burning fireplace.

I recently finished my first experience with Willing Workers on Organic Farms New Zealand (WWOOF — check out this international organisation!). This was a lifestyle block (nothing commercial, just a small family farm to sustain the household). As my fellow WWOOFer Steve (and Irish journo — check out his awesome farming blog!) said, "You will eat deliciously wherever you WWOOF." Indeed, I ate well and picked up some awesome recipes and cooking tips from my WWOOF host mom. So here's the first of perhaps will be many posts from my WWOOFing experience near Wakefield, NZ (on the South Island).

Since NZ is a British Commonwealth country, much of the food and culture is, well, British. Hence, Sunday roasts, or roasts for any day, are common. But first — the fireplace!

You see this here? This is a modern wood-burning fireplace. Covered. Heats other rooms in the house. Some models have burners for cooking. While this burner isn't officially for cooking, check out that silver roasting pan! That has free-range lamb shoulder in it from my WWOOFing family's backyard. Basically, slow roast it until it looks done. For roasts, the saying is, "Meat and three veg." Obviously, meat and three vegetables. These carrots, parsnips, and beetroots are from one of the garden patches.

That said, we used four veg — potatoes, parsnips, yams, and backyard pumpkin (crown pumpkin to be exact).

Looks at those yams! I had never seen ones so little and pink before. The yams I'm used to are similar to the NZ kumara (sweet potato). In any case, if you've already roasted the meat, as my family did — take some of the drippings and mix it with the veg that will take the longest to roast first. Here, it was the potatoes. Roast it with the meat at maybe 155–195 degrees C. After about 20-30 minutes, throw in the rest of the veggies and give them a quick stir with the animal fat. Roast until the rest of the veggies are done — 20 – 30 minutes more.

Enjoy your roast made of meat and three (four) veg! Starchy, meaty goodness. Fit for a farmer!

The Time is Ripe for Banana Bread

Summer has arrived in New York City and with it comes the hastening of banana ripening. I bought a bunch that was green before it got super hot and then next thing I knew I had a bunch of brownies on my hands.

Which is not really a problem for me. I'm one of those people who really doesn't care if it's brown on the outside as long as it's white on the inside (which is what happens if you put them in the fridge), and I will eat bananas that are pretty mushy in a hangry pinch. After I discovered that bananas can be an amazing delivery device for Nutella, the texture became secondary. A spoonful of Nutella makes the banana medicine go down.

But I'm trying to eat even healthier now (I feel like I read SUGAR IS MURDER everywhere e.g. Kara Walker) so in a Nutella evasion technique, I decided to try a banana bread with my brown bananas.

I'm not a baker, and this recipe was really easy. My mom makes 'nana bread with chocolate chips and I love her version -- but in doing some searching for a good recipe I saw that Ruth Reichl said it was "not [her] idea of a good time." Good point, healthier is prob better.

So I went with the banana bread recipe from Simply Recipes, which had only a few ingredients and seemed well recommended. I made it in a 85 degree apartment (at night!!) and it made the place smell amazing. I might try it toasted with a scoop of ice cream -- don't want to be tooo healthy now! :)