I’ve had a love affair with New Zealand for many years now, ever since I became friends with my very first Kiwi.
Sam and I bonded over a clothing rack, on my first day at a new job in Scotland.
She thought I was from England, I thought she was from Melbourne…
In any case, we hit it off.
Sam used to cover for me when I fell asleep in the change rooms at work.
I used to cover for her when…
Well actually, she only ever had to cover for me… No wonder I got fired…
Anyhoo, knowing Sam and her tight knit Kiwi group gave me a family, when I couldn’t have been further away from my own.
And then, soon enough, we met Sarah (Love you too sista xxx).
Our ridiculous adventures as a trio were legendary, totally dramatic and I cherish the memories… Even the ones that induce shuddering cringes.
And our travelling fellowship only drew to a close, when flat broke on the Greek Island Ios, working for crazed lunatics and living off popcorn (yes, we were so broke we couldn’t even afford a Gyro… so very sad…), I made the gut wrenching decision to return to Adelaide because, despite my fervent begging, Mum wouldn’t bail me out… She would only spot me a plane ticket back to Australia.
I cried the whole way home.
This weekend gone, I was invited to Auckland for a last minute trip.
I was excited about visiting New Zealand again, especially since I was this time travelling with my favourite, awesome partner in crime, my husband Cory.
We literally stayed for 24 hours.
Time enough to fly in, attend an event, meet more awesome Kiwis, sleep in, devour an extraordinary meal at Depot Eatery and then fly out.
All I know is this, it definitely won’t be my last Trans-Tasman tango…
Today’s Friday feast, is my tribute to The land of the Long White Cloud and my never forgotten friend, Sam.
The lamb goes without saying… Right?
And, Sammy my dear, we’ll always have Greece!
Until Monday xxx
- 8 Lamb Neck Chops - thick cut around 1 inch
- 1 Brown Onion - finely chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic - finely chopped
- 1 Carrot - diced
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds
- 2 tsp dried Oregano
- 1 cup good quality Beef stock
- 400gm can of crushed Tomatoes
- 1 small bunch of fresh Lemon Thyme - or regular Thyme if that’s all you can find
- 1 small bunch of fresh Oregano
- 1 Lemon - zested and juice reserved
- ½ cup of Pitted Kalamata Olives
- 100gm Greek Fetta
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Skordalia -
- 4 large Potatoes - use a floury type good for mashing like Coliban
- 1 - 2 cloves minced Garlic - if you like it super garlicy use the 2…
- best quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil - about ¼ cup
- Salt and White pepper
- Kitchen String
- Pre-heat your oven to 160c.
- Using kitchen string, tie the fresh oregano and fresh thyme into tight bouquet garnis - this will facilitate easy removal later.
- Season the chops and rub with 1tbs of oil. Heat a heavy based casserole pan or a fry-pan over a medium-high heat and sear the chops until well browned. remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the chopped onion, garlic and carrots. Fry, stirring occasionally until the veg starts to cook and colour. Season well and add the fennel seeds and dried oregano. Cook stirring for another minute until you can smell the fennel and herbs, then add the stock and tomatoes.
- Bring to the boil, add the bouquet garni’s and lemon zest, then replace the chops making sure they are well covered in the sauce.
- Wrap the top of the dish well with foil and place the lid on the casserole (or transfer to a baking dish and triple wrap with foil) and place into the oven for 3 hours. Make sure you check halfway through cooking and add more stock if neccessary.
- Before serving, remove the chops from the sauce and stir through the olives.
- Serve the chops and sauce with a scattering of fetta & fresh thyme and the Skordalia.
- Skordalia -
- Peel and chop the potatoes. Put into a pot of cold water and place onto the heat. Bring to the boil and cook the potatoes until soft and ready to mash.
- Drain well, then mash the potatoes. Add the minced garlic and then add the lemon juice. Stir through the olive oil until a smooth mash has formed and season well.
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