Mulligatawny soup 

Mulligatawny literally means ‘pepper water’ and is believed to be loosely based on an Indian stew the Brits loved during the Raj. There are many variations it seems, but this is my version which we love.
Ingredients
90 gm butter
1 onion sliced or diced
1-2 tsp garam masala
2 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp curry powder
500 gm uncooked chicken
½ cup lentils
2 Tbsp flour
½ cup tomato puree
2 L stock
1 cup cooked rice

Method
Melt butter and fry onions till golden, add spices and cook for 1 min,
Add chicken and fry for 5 mins
Add remaining ingredients, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer covered 1.5-2 hours.
You can remove the chicken after 30 mins or leave in.  makes little difference to the flavor.
To serve you can serve as is or strain and add some of the chicken and rice to individual bowls. I add a dollop of plain yogurt.

Chook’s note: I rather like the texture of the lentils etc so I don’t strain the soup. I also add the rice to the soup rather than pour the hot soup over it in the serve dish.  I take the simple way – and if like me, you are freezing some of it, having all the ingredients together makes it simpler.    

Pork and veal Terrine

With summer on the way this is delicious to pack in the basket with crusty bread and pickles for a picnic or simply taking a bottle of champers to a favourite chill out spot.

Ingredients
1 kg very cold veal, pork mince and pork fat in equal amounts
2 egg yokes or use whole egg
3 cloves garlic crushed or 2 tsp minced
1 Tbsp dried rosemary,
1-2 Tbsp thyme,
½ tsp white pepper
Good sprinkle of all spice, cinnamon
1 Tbsp lemon zest tight packed
1-2 tsp salt
1/3 cup pistachios
½ cup cream
1/3 cup flour
Optional
2-3 chicken livers
Porcini or shiitake mushrooms soaked in cognac, or use fresh with a ¼+ cup brandy

Line and cover meat mixture with streaky bacon. 

Method
Mix all together, slapping it in the bowl to activate the protein
If using livers, sear and trim.
Line a loaf tin with bacon strips and fill with 1/2 the mixture then lay livers and/or mushrooms over mixture, add remaining meat mixture.
Cover tightly with baking paper then foil
Bake 165 C (fan forced) 1 hr 30 mins in water bath (pan filled with hot water to half way up side of tin)
Cool then refrigerate.

Chook's note: I added another Tbsp of lemon zest and also a big Tbsp of orange zest plus 1/4 cup orange juice for extra zing. I couldn’t  get pork fat so I settled for fatty pork and veal mince. Tastes fabulous!
The purists say to use pork fat. Yummy as that might be it is simply way too naughty for our household. So I use half and half minced pork and minced veal.