Every autumn the olive tree hanging over our balcony drops its fruit everywhere. And every year I have wondered if they are edible. Finally this year I picked a handful and tried them out. They sat for 40 days in a bowl on the kitchen bench soaking in water which I changed every second day. Finally after 40 days I drained them and covered them with salt for two days. Then I rinsed them and packed them in a sterilised jar with thyme, garlic and lemon, and covered with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Two weeks later we finally had our first tentative tasting. Would they taste OK? And more importantly – would they poison us!

They are definitely edible and we are still alive, but next time I would use less vinegar and stick with the oil. Yes – there will be a next time but it will have to wait until next year. Olive season is well and truly over in NZ.

(Yes, those really are my olives in the photo above)

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Related: Home-made olive recipe at iChef

It’s Queen’s Birthday holiday today in New Zealand and thank goodness, the sun is shining. I’m sitting in a sunny room writing this post, sheltered from the icy wind blasting up from Antarctica. Yesterday wasn’t so sunny and I spent the day huddled over a steaming bowl of Vicks trying to clear my sinuses. It made me think about how I could avoid the dreaded flu. “How about wearing some warm clothes and shutting the windows?”, my family and friends would immediately retort. “That might help!” It’s true; I’m not a good cold weather person.

So my plan today is to make chicken noodle soup. It’s just what you feel like when you’re not so well – and I’ll be throwing in lots of garlic and ginger to combat those nasty viruses. Eating chicken soup for a cold is an old wives’ tale that really works. Scientists have found that real chicken soup – not from a can or sachet – really does have anti-viral effects. Today I’m taking the easy option – opening a carton of ready-made chicken stock and throwing in the healthy extras – sliced chicken, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, spring onions, kaffir lime leaf, lemon juice, noodles and mint.

Serves 4

3 skinless chicken breasts, cut in large chunks
1 onion, cut in chunks
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons harissa
2 carrots, sliced thickly
1 red capsicum, sliced thickly
4 pieces preserved lemon, sliced finely
400g can chick peas
500 ml reduced salt chicken stock
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander or parsley

In a large casserole dish place chicken, onion, garlic, harissa, carrots, capsicum, preserved lemon, chickpeas and stock. Bake in oven at 170C for 1 hour or simmer on stove for 1 hour. Remove lid, add tomatoes and cook a further 20 minutes.Stir through coriander just before serving.Serve with couscous.

Couscous

1.5 cups couscous
1.5 cups water or stock
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander or mint

Place couscous in a bowl. Add boiling water or stock. Stand for a few minutes. Fluff up with a fork. Add currants, almonds and coriander or mint.

These bran muffins (adapted from a recipe by Alison Holst) are super filling – a great snack when you are trying to control your weight. Enjoy these muffins with a cup of tea but don’t expect to absorb any iron – both bran and tea bind iron and reduce its absorption. If you are concerned about iron, keep these for in between meals. I like to use up any over-ripe bananas in this recipe. Mash 1 or 2 and throw them in!

2 cups wheat bran
1/2 cup flour