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18 March 2012

Farmers Market Lime, Rhubarb & Fig Tarte

Making the most of a sunny day Sunday we recently popped along to a Farmers Market near Murchison in country Victoria to meet up with some family. The market was held at Longleat winery, with hay bales for seats and a country/ jazz band playing away, the winery served up cheeseboards (cheese made at the vineyard) and wine tasting for all.  Local farmers and artisans set up a handful of stalls selling their delicacies. There were some beautiful olive oils, sourdough loaves, cake stalls, homemade jams and organic seedlings (we picked up some beetroot, fennel and chicory to plant). A local orchardist had fruit bins filled with apple and pear varieties, and another with limes. Its great to see that Farmers Markets are becoming less of a niche and more of the norm for people to source their goods from, giving profits directly back to the growers. With some research online I have discovered there is a market on almost every weekend. So I encourage you to get out there and support your local farmers, enjoy a day out and pick up some local, fresh and always tastier produce. With purchase of juicy limes complete, and some figs from a friend please see this fabulous Lime, Rhubarb & Fig Tarte recipe below. You’ll want to make this one again and again and again. Trust me on this, it’s a winner.

Prep time needed: about 30 min. Baking time: about 1 hr 30 min. Makes 8 servings.

Stuff needed from kitchen: medium pie dish, baking paper, cling wrap, large mixing bowl, beater/food processor, chopping board, medium saucepan, wooden spoon.

From my vegie patch:
250 gm. x rhubarb
6 x ripe figs (courtesy of Sonia’s tree)
1 x lime (courtesy of Farmers Market)

Other ingredients:
Pastry:
1.5 cups x plain flour
1 x egg
100gm x butter
0.5 cup x caster sugar
few tblespn cold water

Rhubarb filling:

25ml water
25g sugar
Almond filling:
150g butter
150g caster sugar
Pinch salt
1 egg, beaten
150g almond meal
Let’s do it...
1.       Preheat the oven to 180C.
2.       For the pastry, sift the flour, then dice the butter and rub it into the flour until the mixture looks breadcrumby. (Or pop all in the food processor and give a give whiz!)
3.       Make a well in the centre of the flour/butter mix. Beat the egg; mix it in, and add cold water as needed to make the pastry cohere into a lump (not more than a couple of tablespoons). Wrap the ball of pastry in cling fill, and chill in freezer for about 15 min.
4.       Chop the rhubarb coarsely, and put it in a saucepan with the water and sugar. Heat over a low to medium heat with lid on, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has mostly broken down into threads and the whole is thick and spoonable. Cool.
My happy little helper
5.       Grease the tart tin. Roll out the larger ball of pastry into a circle to cover the base of a medium tart tin, and then press excess pieces into the side of the tart tin. Given the crumbliness of the pastry, you’ll probably need to do this in four or five sections, rather than all at once.
6.       Cover the pastry loosely with greaseproof paper and weigh it down with dry peas or pastry weights or the like, and cook for ten minutes; then take the weights and paper off and cook until the case starts to get slightly golden, probably another 15 minutes or so.
7.       Lower the oven temperature to 160C.
8.       For the almond filling, cream the butter, salt and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg, then the ground almonds and juice of the whole lime. (add a little lime zest if you want to up the lime ante)
9.       Spread a thick layer of the rhubarb mixture over the base of the tart case, filling it around a third. Spread the almond mixture over this, enough to take it not quite to the top of the tart.
10.   Slice the figs, and press the slices gently into the top of the tart
11.   Bake until the almond mixture is golden all over, probably an hour or so. Ideally, serve warm with some sort of delicious ice-cream or natural yogurt.

Soundtrack for an amazing Farmers Market Tarte: To the Horses by Lanie Lane

A few pics from our Day out:

Apples and Pears
organic seedlings (cant wait to see what these produce!)
My inlaws, Mr & Mrs K enjoying the delicious Rose!

16 March 2012

Pork Chops & Roasted Rhubarb.


When Chopper met Rhuby it was love at first bite. At least for this dish anyway The beautiful marriage of roasted rhubarb and a simple pork chop, with roasted rosemary & garlic potatoes and our good friend zucchini is just perfect. As the summer months are sadly behind us, we look forward to the cooler autumn climate, and our vegie patch too is starting to reflect the change in season. Our rhubarb that was planted months ago is now plentiful, along with eggplant/aubergine and zucchinis/courgettes (there seems to be a never ending supply!). The basil is still going strong too (any more basil recipes – send on over). The pork was sourced locally from our butcher who gets his pork from Otway’s (regional Victoria), and the potatoes from the farmers market.  A truly regional low-mileage meat + 2 veg + 1 fruit dinner…Enjoy.

Prep time: approx. 20 min. cooking time: about 45 min
Kitchen stuff needed: a grill, Sharp knife, 2 x large baking dish, chopping board, blender, cling wrap, foil.

Ingredients from the garden:
6 x stalks of fresh rhubarb
2 x large Zucchini
4 x springs of rosemary
6 x large potatoes (courtesy of local farmers market)

Other Ingredients
4 x large pork chops (go and see your local butcher instead of supermarket if you can)
1 x teaspoon cinnamon
2 x tblespn white sugar
50gm x butter
6 x cloves garlic
Olive oil
S & P to taste

Let’s do it:
1. Turn on oven to 180 degrees
2. Peel your potatoes, chop each potato (if bigger) into about 6 pieces each. Throw in pot of boiling water and boil for about 6 min.
3. In a bowl, add your pork chops, a clove of chopped garlic, the cinnamon, s&P and a good swig of olive oil. Get your hands in there and massage the flavours into each side of the meat, cover bowl in cling film and pop in fridge.
4. Chop all rhubarb into 8cm (or so) chunks. Place in baking tray, sprinkle evenly with sugar and butter. Pop in oven and roast for 20 min.
5. Drain water out of pot that potatoes are in. Then holding on tightly give the pot a good shake and rough up the tatoes a bit around the edges. Lay out onto a clean dry tea towel for a few min to dry and then pop into a baking dish.
6. Tear off your rosemary from the stalks and add to potatoes, along with 4 whole garlic cloves (skin on), a good sprinkle of sea salt and pepper, and ¼ cup of olive oil. Again, get your hands dirty here and give them all a good toss together. Pop in the oven to join Rhuby, err.. the rhubarb. These need at least 30 min.
7. Wait 10 min take out the rhubarb, put your feet up, have a glass of wine J you have a 10 min break.
8. Feeling refreshed, chop zucchini into rounds and then halve than. Fry off with last clove of chopped garlic gently. Turn off heat once slightly soft and cooked through but leave in pan.
9. Turn on grill/griddle pan and when hot, place your pork chops onto the pan. Cook each side for 5 min. (or to your liking. Once cooked on both side, rest pork on plate with some foil over the top.
10.         Lastly take approx. ¼ of baked rhubarb, pop in blender with a small swig of olive oil and pulse for a few sec until smooth
11.         Now to plate up! Divide the roasted rhubarb evening between 4 plates, and make a nice little bed for the pork to rest. Add a small tower of zucchini circles to the plate, with some lovely roasted potatoes and add a dollop of the sauce. Lastly add your pork and a clove of delicious caramelised roasted onion on top.


Enjoy with a large glass Trentham Estate Pinot Chardonnay Sparkling > keeping it local of course :)

Soundtrack for Country Victoria Autumn dinner: Fish Out of Water by Ash Grunwald

09 March 2012

Feta/Spinach/Chicken Prize Parcels


It’s been a whole 2 months since I started this blog, and like my daughter, I can’t remember it not being a part of my daily life! With 22 blogged recipes so far and over 2000 hits to the site, I thank you dear reader for joining me on this experience and coming back for more.  Although I have always loved cooking from my garden, it’s been wonderful getting absorbed in the world of reading other food blogs and scouring my recipe books for inspiration for the next meal for the family, and the next blog post. The dolmades were a big hit at the party I took them to, so with this recipe, I have decided to work similar flavours together with the same herbs, nuts and spices but combining it into a spinach & feta parcel idea. I’ve also added minced chicken. Feel free to double the spinach or add tofu if you want pure vego. Thanks for reading and as always... enjoy


Prep time: approx. 30 min. cooking time: about 30 min

Kitchen stuff needed: 1 large frypan, 1 baking try, baking paper, sharp knife and chopping board.

Ingredients from the garden:
500gm (6 x large stalks) of silverbeet: stalks removed and finely chopped
OR
500g of spinach leaves if you prefer.

Other Ingredients
3 sheets of frozen puff pastry: left at room temp
500gm chicken mince (you could use beef/veal mince also)
½ cup feta cubes
1½ T olive oil
½ a brown onion, minced
4 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tblespn dill, chopped finely
1/3 cup sultanas
1/3 cup pine nuts toasted lightly in pan
¼ t salt
Black pepper
1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing top.
Juice and rind of half a lemon

Let’s do it:
1. Place finely chopped spinach in large pot and add 1 cup water. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 min with lid on.
2. With olive oil fry off garlic and onion in large frypan until soft. Add chicken mince and brown.
3. Add herbs, spices, sultana’s and nuts to chicken mix and turn down heat, soak up the beautiful aroma’s
4. Drain silverbeet and wring out excess water with hands. Get a clean tea towel and put spinach in it, rolling up and wringing out all water from as you twist it. Add this spinach to chicken mix and combine.
5. Add lemon juice and lemon rind to taste. Have a quick taste!
6. **Cut one diagonal line in puff pastry square to create 2 triangles and add 2 large heaped tablespoons of chicken mixture, top with some crumbled feta and fold over opposite corners to create a smaller triangle.
7. Start at the longest corners and turn and twist the edges around to close. Repeat on other open side and carefully place of a greased baking tray. Crisscross very lightly with a knife, and only cut one 2cm incision into the top of the parcel.
8. Repeat with all 6 triangles and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown on 180 degrees C.

**Note: If making as Party food or a group, cut puff pastry into 4 equal triangles, and just use one spoonful of mixture.

Enjoy with a glass of beautiful McLaren Vale Shiraz.

Soundtrack for a celebration of the world’s best blog audience : El Camino by The Black Keys

04 March 2012

Delectable Dolmades. Get your Greek on :)

Are you like me and remember certain things that you ate 5, 10, 20 years ago? Memorable tastes are special moments when your mind and senses work so well together; they capture not only what you ate and how amazing it was, but who you were with, where you were and who made it. For me there are many and dolmades take me back to a sunny Sunday afternoon in London many years ago. We stumbled across a musical playing in Southbank, free for passers-by. As we watched a wacky show with elaborate cheese themed head-dresses (random but true!), a vegan friend of a friend whipped out a container of homemade dolmades. I have often thought of those little treasures while tucking into meze plates since, but I hadn’t haven’t had any as fresh and tasty as I had that day. When asked to bring a plate of ‘something savoury’ to a friend’s birthday this weekend, I set about recreating those little gems... I’m proud to report, they are pretty damn good.  The filling is super easy to make, but the wrapping involves some patience. But trust me, the end result is magic. Enjoy. Makes about 30 dolmades.

Prep time: approx. 30 min. cooking time: about 30 min

Kitchen stuff needed: a grater, chopping board, frypan, 1 mixing bowls, sharp knife, one shallow roasting dish

Ingredients from the garden:
20 x mint leaves finely chopped

Other Ingredients
1 cup white rice, cooked
4 oz vine leaves (these can be purchased in a jar at an ethnic food store)
Several cups boiling water
Several cups cold water
1½ T olive oil
½ a brown onion, minced
4 cloves garlic
¼ c dill, chopped
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup pine nuts
10 x Kalamata olives
¼ t salt
Black pepper
¾ cup vegetable stock
2 Tblespn lemon juice and rind of a lemon

Let’s do it:
1. Arrange grape leaves flat in bowl, cover with boiling water, and let sit for 2 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water, let sit for 5 minutes, and drain.

2. Place rice in small bowl, cover with boiling water, let sit for 5 minutes, and drain.

3. Meanwhile, heat ½ Tblespn oil and sauté onion and 1 minced garlic clove, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes.

4. Combine rice, onion mixture, mint, dill, raisins, pine nuts, olives, salt, and pepper in large bowl.

5. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

6. Line baking dish with grape leaves. Place one leaf on cutting board, vein side up, and cut off stem. Add a heaping spoonful of filling in the center. Fold the sides of leaf over filling, and then roll from stem-end to tip, to make a neat roll. Set seam-side-down in lined baking dish. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling, placing grape leaves cosily together and making two layers if necessary.

7. Cut 3 garlic cloves into large pieces and poke between the grape leaves here and there.

8. Pour stock over grape leaves, then remaining olive oil and 1 t lemon juice.

9. Bake 20-25 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Drizzle with remaining lemon juice and serve.

Enjoy with friends and accompany with an ice cold Mythos beer 

Soundtrack to get your Greek on (by special Greek Goddess DJ Kat G): Prosopika Dedomena by Giannis Ploutarhos

Recipe adapted from recipe at http://www.theveggietable.com

02 March 2012

A Queenslanders’ Banana & Coconut Bread


I spent my high school some of university years living in North Queensland. Growing up in the tropics was wonderful, it was hot all year round, and REALLY hot in summer with 99% humidity and vibrant tropical storms and cyclones a regular occurrence. There is fantastic Magnetic Island, a short ferry ride for the weekend or daytrip; hiking in rainforest and swimming in waterfalls of Paluma and Crystal Creek; eating locally caught fish & chips on the Strand and of course getting out to our gorgeous Great Barrier Reef. You certainly became used to the sweaty days and balmy nights and looking back, it was such an inspiring and carefree place to spend those formative years. I have many friends still there who I think of often (it’s a short 3000km away from Melbourne). Banana’s, mangoes and sugarcane are the main farming produce there and on a lucky day you’d often pick up unwanted boxes of mangoes on the side of the road as there would be just too much stock. So, to my fellow Queenslanders, here’s a recipe just for you. A tropical delight, like all those years in the Ville. This 6 step easy recipe makes 2 hearty loaves of delicious banana bread. We always end up devouring one while warm with a dollop of yogurt, and then slice up the second and freezing in pieces to take to work for morning tea. (Allow to completely cool, or leave in pan overnight and slice next day). And if you are not a Queenslander, that’s ok, I’ll forgive you. I hope you enjoy too and it reminds you of your last sweaty holiday in the tropics :)

Prep time: approx. 15 min. cooking time: about 60 min

Kitchen stuff needed: 1 large mixing bowl, 1 medium mixing bowl, 1 fork, 2 loaf tins, baking paper

Ingredients from the garden:
Handful of raspberries and/or blueberries

Other Ingredients
2 Cup self-raising flour
1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
4 bananas’ mashed, (the softer, the better)
¼ cup fruit juice (apple/orange/tropical... you choose)
200gm shredded coconut
4 eggs
300ml sunflower oil

Let’s do it:
1.  Turn the oven on to 200 degrees c.
2.  In a large bowl add the flours, baking powder, sugar, coconut and mashed banana. Give it a good stir.
3.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, oil and juice.
4.  Combine the eggy juice mix to the flour and mix together with a fork
5.  Pop in lined baking loaf tins and add raspberries to top.
6.  Bake for 1 hour.. too easy.

Enjoy with a large glass of chilled Central Tablelands NSW Savingnon Blanc.

Soundtrack for a lazy, hot & humid days: Fight for your Mind by Ben Harper