As promised, here is the link to the biscuits my daughter nags me to bake. They are sinfully perfect for the hungers of the Scorpio Full Moon.

I post all foodie & travel stuff to my non astro blog now- here is the link to and anyways…

We haven’t had a recipe for a while, so, with the Moon in the last couple of degrees of Cancer, here is one- ideal for a Sunday evening in.

This is one of those classic recipes that you can posh up a bit by serving the chicken and sauce separately, with some fresh pasta and a salad. Naturally you would then call it L’estragon poulet. Or you can do it as we will be tonight- in bowls as a soupy thing with lots of fresh crusty bread to dunk.

I have been cooking this recipe for years. It originally came from Scottish chef, Nick Nairns’ Wild Harvest. I re-discovered this book (which used to be one of my favourites) the other day when I was searching for inspiration and a potato scone recipe. I needed to replenish my brownie point bank account with my Scottish hubby & given that I refuse to prepare haggis (and yes I have hunted one of those wee beasties down in the past) or black pudding (eeeeeuw) potato scones are the most palatable of the culinary options available to score major points quickly. If you’ve never tried one, potato scones, that is, they work a treat with smoked salmon & a drop of sour cream for brekky. As an aside, I am of the opinion that whisky was invented to allow the swallowing of the haggis…with all due respects to my Scottish readers of course, och aye.

Anyways, I now complete this recipe in the slow cooker, which gives a different, but just as satisfying result.

Ingredients

Chicken- preferably free-range. I use a combination of thighs and drumsticks. I prefer the skin off as it keeps the fat down, but keeping the skin on gives you a moister and more luxurious result.

2 tablespoons oil for frying (I use rice bran, but sunflower is fine)

50g unsalted butter

1 large Spanish (ie purple) onion, peeled and sliced into gorgeous little half moons

1 garlic clove crushed (I usually throw another couple of unpeeled cloves into the pot for a tad more flavour)

15g tarragon leaves (you will need the stalks, so don’t throw them away)

165g button mushrooms, cut in half

300ml white wine

600ml chicken stock (I always make my own and have it in the freezer. Any good commercial stock is fine, but please not powdered stocks for this recipe.)

few drops of lemon juice

salt, pepper

What you do with it:

Heat a large pan until hot & add the oil.  Fry the chicken until golden. (Note, I use the slow cooker and remove the skin, so only sear my chook). Keep aside. If you are using a slow cooker, pop the chicken in.

Heat a large saucepan or stove top friendly casserole pan. Add the butter, then garlic, onions & tarragon stalks (the ones I told you to hang onto). Cook for about 5-10 minutes until they start to colour. Add the wine & reduce the liquid by about 3/4 .

If you are finishing on the stovetop, add the chook, mushies and the stock. If it needs it, add just enough water to make sure the chicken is covered in liquid. Add a few drops of lemon juice. Bring to the boil and immediately lower the heat. Simmer gently with a lid on for an hour- skimming & stirring occasionally.

If you are finishing this in the slow cooker, do the same, but with the slow cooker & let it do its thing while you enjoy Sunday afternoon. I let it wallow for a few hours.

Remove the chicken and set aside. Increase the heat & reduce the cooking liquid by half. Remove the tarragon stalks (and any stray garlic cloves which you threw in), pop the chicken back in & add the tarragon leaves- that you have had the foresight to chop up.

Naturally if you are doing this as a soupy in the bowl with lots of juices thing, don’t stress too much over the reducing.

Plonk it in the middle of the table with mash or pasta or whatever it is you are using, and let people help themselves. Too easy.

It’s been a while since I posted a recipe, so here we go. And, this one feels sort of Scorpio Moon-ish to me- all that spicy depth and layers.

OK, up front, if you are on the no sugar bandwagon (and trust me, I am right there with you), you may not want to try this one- at least not if you are in the initial stages of your sugar detox. Any recipe that has “caramel” in the title will involve the use of something sugary- after all, that’s what caramel is.

This recipe has it all- that salty, sour taste from the tamarind, the hot spice from the chilli, the sweetness of the palm sugar and as for the salad? Let’s just say it takes the whole traditional pork and apple sauce to a completely new level.

Anyways, here is the recipe from my current favourite recipe book Hot Plate by the team from my all time favourite restaurant Spirit House (at Eumundi on the Sunshine Coast). We used to visit annually as part of the pilgrimage to Mooloolaba (one of my favourite-ist beach spots anywhere). We haven’t been for years, but will be going back up there in April, so I’m getting in training now. The pic below is of Mooloolaba beach…all my Spirit House ones from that last trip are pretty crap.

Oh, re the recipe- the usual fineprint applies re copyright to the authors etc etc.

The Pork Part:

2 pork fillets (trim them of all the sinew and other bits)

100 mls of tamarind water (I use a hunk of tamarind paste soaked in boiling water and then strained through a fine sieve)

30mls whisky

200gms palm sugar (chopped. I use less than this- mainly because I don’t eat a lot of sugar, so my palate really picks up the slightest sweetness.)

50mls fish sauce

25mls dark soy sauce

2 cloves garlic (peeled & crushed)

1 large red chilli (chopped)

zest and juice of 1 lime

Place the tamarind water, whisky, palm sugar, sauces, spices and lime zest (not the juice, not yet…) in a saucepan & bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly syrupy (that’ll be the caramelly bit and should take about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat, stir in the lime juice and set aside to cool.

Once the syrupy stuff has cooled, marinate the pork fillets in half of it while you get on with the salad. The rest will become a sauce for the cooked pork.

To cook the pork, heat the barbecue to medium and grill the fillets, turning regularly and basting with the marinade frequently. It will take about 20-25 minutes and will need resting for about 10 minutes. Oh, the chilli caramel marinade will make a mess of the Barbie…get over it.

Slice into medallions and transfer to serving platter (I used a wooden board) and pour over the re-heated sauce. Serve with apple salad on the side.

The Apple Salad Part

2 teaspoons palm sugar, chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 green apples, skin on a finely shredded (my hubby tried to short cut this and grated the apples- the taste works, but it doesn’t look nearly as good and you lose the crunch)

1 cup bean sprouts (topped and tailed)

3 spring onions (trimmed and finely sliced)

1 large chilli (de-seeded and finely sliced)

1 tablespoon ginger (peeled and finely shredded)

1 cup washed mint leaves.

Combine the lime juice and palm sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to mix.

Mooloolaba Beach. Pic by me.

pic by me

The Moon is in Aries, so it has been action stations here in Chez Tracey. It seems almost criminal not to get in and get things done with the Arian energy around.

The first Pump class for the year was done & dusted, multiple loads of washing done and suitcases finally unpacked and put away.

I have plans to paint, probably for most of what is left of January, and am anxious to get stuck into it.  Some really fiddly window and door trim stuff needs doing and a fresh coat required on most rooms. TTM has decided that at nearly 14 pink is no longer her thing, so she will be getting the whole Changing Rooms treatment.

Also, given that I will be concentrating on some writing over the next few months during my “career break”, my study needs to have the clutter cut. In fact, there is clutter everywhere and I am moving into I am no longer prepared to tolerate it territory. TTM was ducking for cover and hubby was fiercely guarding battery clothes (those shirts that skulk at the far end of the wardrobe, just out of direct vision, that will probably never see the light of day again). As for the kitchen bench? The less said about how long it took me to clean that up the better.

There is lots that I am in no mood to tolerate.

Our main TV watching lounge has just passed its 20 year anniversary and I no longer care how “easy to sleep in” it is, it is an eye-sore and has been on the throw out list for at least the last 5 years. So this afternoon, to avoid having me de-cluttering in the mood that I was in, hubby dragged me down to the furniture store January sales and we bought a new one. Just Like That.

Hubby’s Venus in Libra is still getting over the shock “don’t you think we should think about this some more?”

“Sure,” my Venus in Aries replied, “how about we go home and think about it until the January sales are over and it has doubled again in price?”

Unfortunately I have 12 weeks to wait and look at the old one until this one is delivered (I wanted a specific colour leather that needs to be custom done…of course), but at least the decision was made.

Tomorrow morning (Sydney time) the Moon moves into Taurus and the inclination to just get in and do it may feel more like, just lie on the couch and watch the cricket.

With La Luna’s first aspect being a breakfast date with more is very definitely more Jupiter that flying start to your New Years Resolutions may, if you aren’t careful, come quickly to a screaming halt.

How to keep it going? Taurus doesn’t really like to sweat that much, unless it is absolutely necessary, so think about switching the exercise. If you are really dreading the gym, go for a walk instead. Perhaps, like me, your garden has scooted away over the past two weeks. Spend some time in it. Smell the herbs, feel the earth, pull out those flipping weeds. If you find yourself at the fridge door looking longingly at that box of chocolates that just needs to be finished off so that it doesn’t tempt you anymore apply the 10 minute rule. If you still want them, have one…and eat it slowly, savouring every last lingering sweet mouthful.

Moon in Taurus likes to have the senses indulged, so plan your menus with care. Think about how the food will look on the plate, the fragrance, the feel in your mouth and, of course, how it tastes.

Tonight on our menu is chicken, char grilled on the barbecue and marinated with lemongrass and chilli. I will serve it with a cooling cucumber and grated carrot thai style salad, with some rice for hubby and TTM. I’m trying not to carb it after 3pm- you would not believe how much weight I put on in Bali! (I couldn’t believe it & thought the scales must have broken while we were away…)

The herbs were salvaged from my garden, although TTM originally brought me a rose sprig instead of Vietnamese mint…WTF??? Anyways, here is the recipe. It’s adapted from a cookbook my favourite Taurean ex colleague gave me for Christmas from the people who run my favourite restaurant Spirit House. The book is called Hot Plate & is full of Asian barbecue meals.

Chargrilled Chicken Marinated with Lemongrass & Chilli

For the marinade & the chook:

Chicken (see my note below)

1 tablespoon each of fish sauce, soy sauce, chinese rice wine

100g white sugar (I tend to use only a couple of spoonfuls as I am trying to cut sugar from my diet)

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 chopped birds eye chillis (I leave the seeds in. Make sure you wash your hands really well afterwards)

3 sticks of lemongrass- bruise them with the back of a knife & chop the white parts (the tops make really cool make-shift oil brushes later for the chicken).

Pound it all up in a mortar & pestle until it is a paste, then rub it into the chicken. I use chicken thighs- around 500g for the 3 of us, but the recipe calls for butterflied chicken. Truthfully? I always have chicken thighs in the freezer (free range, of course, so you can taste the outdoors happiness) & don’t plan well enough ahead to do the butterfly (or spatchcocking) thing. Leave overnight if you are organised.

Cook the chook on the barbecue. Cooking times will depend on whether you have gone for the butterfly option or not. Just make sure it is cooked through. Better still, buy the book for the full instructions!

For the chopping board:

2 tablespoons Vietnamese mint

2 tablespoons coriander

1 sliced red chilli

½ tablespoon grated ginger

1 lime halved

While the chook is cooking, chop up your herbs, feel free to mix and match the herbs you like (I know coriander is one of those herbs that you either love or hate- here at Chez Tracey, we love it) and spread out on the chopping board. The quantities here are as per the recipe- but I tend to use it as indication only.

When the chicken is done, place it on the herby chopping board & cut into pieces. Squeeze the lime over and rub with the herbs. Do as the recipe suggests & serve it on the board- it looks great.

I write this on a lazy holiday Monday here in Sydney where Spring visited early and has retreated again…as has my voice- retreated, that is.

After two days with barely a squeak, I can now at least make myself heard (albeit in a very husky 1800 type of way)…and am making up for the break in transmission. I feel like this cold has been hanging around for ever and it has been over 2 weeks since I was able to train effectively. Never the most patient of people, I am now officially Over It. Naturally, according to Scorpio hubby, it is my own fault because I didn’t stop properly when I first got it and persisted with training for the race I had entered. Whatever.

Anyways, I think the worst is past and all should all be back to normal soon.

For now, a run down of the week that was and a brief look ahead at the week to be.

On the blogs

Banishing the Banishable- a post for the New Moon in Libra

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps…and a little buyers remorse- all about Venus in Libra

Shameless Self Promotion- this years Wellbeing Astrology & where to get your copy

I’m Too Sexy For This Post- Mars in Leo…of course…and I’m pretty proud of the peacock pic

Chains- Saturn opposite Venus transits- ouchy do

And yes, there are no links to astrology.com because…well, because I have been too busy at work to actually write about work.

Looking ahead?

The big aspects today are Mars squaring off against a retrograde Jupiter and the Moon squaring Uranus. Given that it is Labour Day here in parts of Australia, perhaps the best spot is on the lounge catching up on telly (personally, I have the day set aside for last seasons East West 101 and the ironing board). Mars in Leo, though, wants to shine and wants to move. With pressure between the Moon and Uranus and then the monthly standoff against Pluto, anything can happen.

The squares continue from la Luna into Tuesday with battles against the Sun, Saturn and Venus all marking her progress through Capricorn.

The big event will be next weekend with Venus moving into the sign of her fall- deepest, darkest, kinkiest Scorpio. Bring. It. On!

Anyways, I have a Chilli Caramel Pork Belly that is demanding my attention….exotically Asian enough for the tail end Sagittarius Moon with the chilli heat just right (I hope) to get this throat and this voice happening again- a big week ahead at work.

To make this dish work well, the pork belly needs to simmer in a master stock for 3 hours, before cooling in the stock and then being refrigerated until it is firm enough to slice- preferably overnight, but I don’t plan that far in advance.

Master stock is one of those things like mother yeasts- it just keeps getting better. I keep one in the freezer for chicken and one for pork, and as long as you skim and strain it through muslin before re-freezing, topping up with water as required, the flavour continues to intensify.

The recipe, if you are interested, is below. It comes from Neil Perry’s Simply Asian, but as I am not great with following instructions, we deviate a little from the original. This sauce works well with chicken too and, I would imagine, with prawns…in fact, I am thinking a bowl of king prawns tossed in this sauce and some cold beer…next weekend maybe.

Ingredients:

500g belly pork

master stock (I keep some always in the freezer, but essentially it is 6 cups water, 1 cup light soy sauce, 1 cup shao xing, ½ cup yellow rock sugar, 1 large knob sliced ginger, 3 cloves sliced garlic, 4 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 pieces dried tangerine peel. Boil it up and strain it out, then store in the freezer. It just keeps getting better)

vegetable oil for frying the pork

For the sauce:

1 cup palm sugar

½ cup water

8 green birds eye chillis & 4 long red chillis (both de-seeded & julienned)

2 tablespoons of ginger, julienned (that’s a posh word for slicing super fine)

¼ cup fish sauce

¼ cup lime juice

How to make it:

Simmer the pork belly in the master stock for 3 hours, skimming as required. Allow it to cool in the broth & then refrigerate overnight (if you can). Drain the pork & cut into thin strips.

For the sauce, pop the sugar and ¼ cup of water into a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves and it turns to caramel. This should take about 10mins, but watch it as once it turns it goes from sugary to caramel to burned mess in the bottom of the pan super quick.

Take it off the heat and add the remaining water (1/4 cup), the julienned chilli and ginger and stir like crazy to stop it catching. Now you can add the remaining ingredients. Bring it back to the boil and then just keep warm while you deal with the pork.

The original recipe calls for the pork to be deep fried & the sauce poured over at the end. We usually stir fry it with some other veg eg capsicum, snow peas, carrot, shallots and toss in some cashews and then the sauce. This adds a lovely caramel chilli glaze to the dish. Serve with rice, beer and (depending on the heat of your chillis) tissues!