How to make thick, luscious tzatziki
My tzatziki goes runny. Any advice? R. Parer
This unfortunate and potentially embarrassing problem with your salted yoghurt and cucumber dip is caused by one of two things.
Firstly, you need to buy Greek yoghurt or drain unflavoured yoghurt to remove the whey. But don't ditch the whey – it is acidic and you can use it to fluff up pancakes or in a marinade to tenderise meat.
Secondly, you may not be salting your cucumbers. Cucumbers are 95 per cent water, and adding salt will draw the water out.
Grate the cucumbers – skin and all, if you like – then liberally sprinkle them with salt and mix well. After 30 minutes, place the grated cucumber in a clean dishcloth and squeeze out the liquid.
Now gently blend the yoghurt with your garlic, oil, salt, mint and dill.
I have chokos growing up the side of my flat. What can I do with them? J. Rivett
Chokos are part of the great post-Colombian exchange. This wave of foods from the New World followed the 1492 voyage by Christopher Columbus to the Americas. In the decades afterward, tomatoes, chillies, potatoes, corn, pumpkins and new varieties of beans arrived in Europe. The exchange also went west across the Pacific, with south-east Asia adopting many species introduced by Spanish colonists in the Philippines. One was the Mexican creeper chayote, a member of the cucumber family, which Australians call choko.
The green, pear-shaped fruit has a mild flavour similar to zucchini. In Mexico, it is grown for its shoots, leaves and roots. A classic Mexican method is to peel the fruit, cut it into 3mm slices and simmer in salted water for 30 minutes. Allow it to cool then dress with oil, salt, vinegar and onion slices that have been soaked in vinegar.
Alternatively, you can peel it, cut it into batons and stir-fry with prawns, adding fish sauce, palm sugar and chillies for kick. You can peel and roast them with other vegetables such as fennel and pumpkin and serve with roast chicken.
Chokos are high in fibre and vitamin C, easy to grow and can be found in greengrocers and farmers' markets for less than $8 a kilogram.
Can you still get Parisian Essence? J. Thornton
You refer to the concentrated deep-brown caramel food colouring used to make dishes such as baked goods and gravy darker. The big supermarkets stopped carrying the product and the essence manufacturer Queen stopped making it.
You can make your own by cooking a cup of sugar over very low heat, stirring frequently, making caramel then cooking it until it is almost black. Carefully add a cup of hot water and mix well. Store in a large jar in the fridge. It will keep for six months.
Letters
Last week we were talking about mortadella. Bologna-born Piera Pagnoni, from Piera Pasta Fresca, offered a delicious recipe for mortadella pâté.
"Place 300g of chopped mortadella with 100g ricotta, 10g grated parmesan, and 20ml cream into a high-speed blender or food processor for a minute or so until smooth. Spread on toasted bread or serve with crostini."
