Maudie's Meanders

  Hi, I'm Maudie, a 4yo German Shepherd dog. It gets a bit (bit? That was just a love nip) warm up here in the Dry Tropics, so my housemates keep the aircon on quite a bit (bit? I was nibbling) to keep me cool. I'm not very well, by the way. I contracted a fungal infection, common up here, especially for young female large breed dogs (that would be me), which has triggered discospondylitis. When I was first diagnosed,  the vet  thought that I wasn't long for this world, but a combination of those veterinary skills and my housemates' loving care, have brought me to a pretty OK and fun life and even to my fourth birthday celebrations. Ah, those housemates. There are two humans and a couple of cockatiels. My great grandmother, Yannie, used to live with them, but she crossed the Rainbow Bridge a couple of years ago. They were very sad. They hope to meet her again, because Psalm 36 says that God saves both people and animals. That will be lovely for me, too, because ...

I love my Scanpan Tagine pot. OK, it’s not so gaudily pretty as traditional ceramic or cast iron Moroccan pots, but it’s very handsome in its own Danish way, and immensely more practical. I also love the Moroccan-inspired recipes which abound on the ‘Net to show off what wonderful meals it produces. Oh, and I love duck. So what better than duck leg tagine! And this recipe is for two, so it could be made in a smaller pot than mine. Scale up ingredients for more. Serves 2 Prep time:   10 Minutes Cook time:   60 Minutes Total time:    70 Minutes Ingredients 2 (Around 225-250g each) Duck Legs (although the recipe would work well with breasts. Legs have the advantage of being on bone, which always adds some flavour to tagines). 1 Large Brown Onion 3 Garlic Cloves ½ cup Dried Apricots 1/3 cup Almonds (they don’t need to be blanched). 2 Tbsp Harissa Paste 2 Tbsp Water 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice Olive Oil (I haven’t specified an amount, dollop to taste) ½ Tsp Sa...

  Air Fryer Salmon and Asparagus   This was among the first meals I prepared in an air fryer. Leisa didn’t want one, thought it was a waste of bench space, “Another unnecessary gadget”. So it formed one of my Proof of Concepts in a borrowed air fryer to show what the device was capable of. Along with chips, of course, and the clincher, roast pork with perfect crackling. It’s particularly handy on Friday nights in our house. A tradition has developed that we have fish - often air fryer fish and chips - and an inexpensive bottle of bubbles to mark the onset of the weekend and the end of Leisa’s working week, or at least the desk-and-meeting-bound part of it.   Serves 2 Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 8 mins Total Time 13 mins Ingredients 1½ tbsp Lemon Juice 1 tbsp Olive Oil 2 tbsp Fresh Dill, roughly chopped 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley 2 Salmon Fillets, 170/180gr each 1 bunch Asparagus Salt & Pepper to taste Instructions In a small bo...

  Pour 4 à 6 personnes Les Ingrédients: 100gr butter 2 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced. Good salt 1 kg brown onion, thinly sliced 2 tsp brown sugar 2 tbsp plain flour 1½L good beef stock, eg Maggie Beer Splash of Worcester 150 ml white wine 100 ml vermouth 40 ml brandy A slice of bread or baguette per person Enough cheese to cover that bread, per person. Gruyère or similar. I have used Jarlsberg. Méthode de Cuisson  Heat butter and oil in a heavy-based saucepan (I used a Le Creuset) over medium-low heat until sizzling. Add onions, 2 of the garlic cloves minced, and a couple of tsp of salt. Cook, uncovered (the whole shebang is cooked uncovered), stirring often, for 45 to 50 mins or until onions are very soft. Stir in sugar and cook, stirring often, for 10 mins or until onions caramelise. Add flour to pan and cook, stirring, for 5 mins. Add stock, wine, vermouth, and splash of Worcester. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 mins to a...

  30g butter  1 leek, pale section only, thinly sliced  2 garlic cloves, crushed  2 tbsp plain flour  3 tsp Dijon mustard  300ml light thickened cream 1/2 cup (125ml) chicken or fish stock  600g firm white fish fillets, cut into 3cm pieces  450g frozen broccoli, carrot, cauliflower mix  1 cup (70g) coarse breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)  100g haloumi, grated  1/2 cup (60g) grated tasty cheddar Step 1 Melt butter in a large heavy-based ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Add leek and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 mins or until softened. Add flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 min or until mixture is grainy. Stir in mustard. Gradually stir in the cream and stock.  Step 2 Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 2 mins. Add fish and cook for 2-3 mins or until fish is cooked through. Add the frozen vegetables. Season. Simmer for 1-2 mins or until vegetables are heated through.  Step 3 Preheat grill on medium...