Category: Meals from my Garden
Pack A Little Snack
TOMATO AND BASIL BARLEY PIKeLETS
These have been getting a fairly good run in my kitchen of late, mostly because they are so quick to put together, are delicious and keep well. They also pack exceptionally well, and will welcome a host of added extras – goat cheese and pesto spread on top is a particularly good combination. They are a great morning tea/snack after my usual breakfast – eggs any way, with ghee and seasonal vegetables – right now that’s often zucchini, corn and kale. Coby and Zay helped me make those ones in the picture this morning – they are my neices children. Coby walked in the door and said “lets make muffins” – thinking this was too much to do (lazy on my part really) I suggested pikelets, no Coby wanted muffins, so I told him they were muffins :).
I’m a big fan of this kind of thing – in Australia we call it a pikelet, but more often than not in the U.S it will be called a drop scone. They’re so quick to wip up. I’ve used a barley flour and have a very big preference for the Four Leaf brand in Australia – it retains a good bit of bran and germ. Also in the bowl is wholemeal spelt flour and my preference is for Demeter Mills. If you give yourself a bit more planning time you can soak these overnight in the milk (see the recipe) and make the flour even more digestible. But, I love how easy spelt and barley are on the tummy, and the barley renders a low gluten end result.
Do give them a try, the barley gives them such a lovely earthy flavour. I like them served with lots of good butter. That’s it !!! Easy Peasy.
TOMATO AND BASIL BARLEY AND SPELT PIKELETS
I’ve gone down a dairy path in this recipe, but you can easily make these dairy free. If using an oat or soy milk (both would be a good choice) add 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to it. Replace the butter with olive oil. And, at times I’ve not had an egg to use, so did the chia seed trick – 1 teaspoon ground chia seed + 45ml water, stir and leave to sit until gooey = 1 egg. They will be a little bit denser, but are fine. Store left overs in an air tight container in the fridge and heat before serving to soften them up if desired. OMG just thought how delicious drippings from organic, nitrate free bacon would be to fry these in !!! Stable and delicious, a most definite win win.
1 cup / 145 gm wholemeal spelt flour
1 cup / 110 gm barley flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
generous sprinkle of salt ( I used Herbamare)
generous grinding of black pepper
finely chopped tomato to taste
handful of fresh basil (or as much as you want)
optional grating of parmesan or pecorino cheese, but a soft goats cheese wouldn’t hurt either
1 egg
1/2 cup full cream, non homegenised milk
1/2 cup cultured buttermilk or yoghurt
30 gm unsalted butter, melted
extra butter or ghee, and extra virgin olive oil for frying
Add the flours, baking powder, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl and whisk through to evening distribute. Add the tomato, basil and cheese if using and gently toss through.
Add the egg to a small mixing bowl and beat together with the milk/cultured buttermilk/yoghurt and melted butter. Add to the dry ingredients and gently fold together until just combined.
Add enough ghee and a touch of olive oil to cover the base of the frypan well. This is important, don’t skimp or your pikelets will stick. When the fat is hot but not at all smoking drop 1 tablespoonful mixture into the pan – the fat should gently sizzle. Continue to cook at a medium heat – they should take about 4 – 5 minutes each side. If the heat is too high they will burn before the inside is cooked (these are whole grain remember), if it’s too low, the pikelet will be soggy. Turn and cook on the other side for 3 – 4 minutes. You will need to top up the fat between batches, the patties absorbs them as they cook and that’s fine. This is good fat you are using.
If soaking overnight, add the flours and salt to a bowl with the milk/s. There must be some acid in this – the yoghurt or cultured milk will do the trick, but if dairy free make sure you have the apple cider vinegar in there. Cover and soak out at room temperature overnight. If you’re worried it’s too dam hot, put it in the fridge. The next morning add all other ingredients – it won’t look as liquid, don’t worry about. Don’t add any more milk.
Tamari, Garlic and Coriander Dressing (+ a rice salad)
One Good Dressing
I tend to think of managing food in a busy life from the perspective of core units. It’s a lot like having core pieces in your wardrobe – 1 good white shirt, 1 good pair of shoes, 1 good pair of pants, 1 great cardigan etc. You build a daily outfit with them and they make life easy. Good food in a busy everyday life is a lot like this. At this time of the year, one good dressing in your fridge fits the bill. I love this tamari, garlic and coriander dressing and love how it works with grain salads.
This is a recipe I’ve been making for many, many years and a staple in the salad line up at The Earth Market (my wholefood cafe, long since gone). It is an infinitely variable – “take a grain, add things to it and give it a good dressing salad”, and indeed the salad below is one of those variations. The occasion was my nieces birthday and this was her request for the salad line up at lunch. The thing about this salad is that it’s not rocket science – I used what I had on hand – namely heirloom carrots of all colours and spring onions from the garden, flat leaf parsley that has sprung up everywhere, roasted pine nuts and toasted sunflower seeds. But a word first about the jar above – I love these small preserving jars – I bought them when in the U.S a few years ago (yes, I buy cooking equipment when I travel !!) and love using them for small storage of all descriptions. I’d been planning this blog a few weeks ago and smiled when I saw Heidi Swanson using them for her dressings in this post – loved the synchronicity. It’s a beautiful photo – I love Heidi’s photography. You can find those jars here.
But to the recipe – this is a robust dressing that works well with robust whole grains – barley and rice work particularly well. In a word, it’s easy – I hope you enjoy it.
TAMARI, GARLIC AND CORIANDER DRESSING
I like to use a salt reduced, wheat free tamari and prefer it’s lighter flavour. You could consider tamari to be a real food version of soy sauce. I use the Spiral brand (in Australia). I use apple juice concentrate as I love it’s subtle and earthy sweetening.
2 tablespoons / 40 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons apple juice concentrate
3 tablespoons / 60m salt reduced tamari
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
2 – 3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
Make the dressing either by hand or in a blender. Either add all ingredients to a blender and process well. If making by hand make sure the garlic and coriander is nice and fine – add to a jar and shake well.
BROWN RICE SALAD
I’m a bit keen of the Bio-Dynamic Rain Fed Brown Rice, it has the most amazing flavour and of course I love the ethics behind it. Build the base of your salad with grain, and then add as many other bits as you would like. More vegetables and less grain, or more grain and less vegetables !! Make more than you need as this only gets better as it sits in the fridge for up to 2 days.
1 cup brown rice – long or medium
Add to this your choice of what’s available:
VEGETABLES – just make sure they are finely diced. If using onion, use spring or purple. If using purple make sure it is very finely diced. Nothing worse than big (and lots of) chunks of hot onion in the mouth. Colour counts also, so try to use bright colours – capsicums, corns, carrots, asparagus etc.
ADD MORE NUTRIENT DENSITY – toasted seeds or nuts, left over cooked legumes, sprouted legumes, well flavoured tempeh
ADD HERBY FRESHNESS AND FLAVOUR – go for it – sprouts, parsley, mint, fennel and lots of it.
I prefer to soak the rice overnight to make it more digestible. Place in a bowl and cover well with water. Add 1 teaspoon whey or 2 teaspoons yoghurt (kefir is fine also), or lemon juice. Leave at room temperature (yes, even if it’s hot) overnight, or for 6 hours. Strain well through a sieve and pat well with a tea towel (to soak up extra water). Place in a pot with a pinch of sea salt, add 1 3/4 cup water (or 2 cups if the rice is not soaked). Cover with a lid and bring to the boil over a gentle heat. As soon as it reaches boiling point, turn the heat down as low as possible. Cook the grain for 40 – 50 minutes. When it is ready small steam holes should be evident and when the pot is tipped on an angle, no water pools. If it does, cook for a while longer. When ready, cover well with a clean tea towel and leave to sit for 30 minutes before using.
Add to a bowl with all ingredients, as much dressing as you desire and toss together.
Making A Book
A WEEK IN BEAUTIFUL COLOUR
This has been the month of travel – recipe testing first, then back to Sydney to photograph the new book. This is the first time I’ve been present for the photography and the first time so many shots have been taken of the finished recipef itself. My books are very much a part of me, so I wanted to be the one to do the cooking and be involved in the creative process of photography. Even though I knew it would be a mountain of work, I wanted to be there – and was a little nervous to begin with. I had asked my dear friend Jeanie to come and help me (I know when Jeanie is there we can together, cope with anything) and – there she was, above and beyond. I also asked Angie (a graduate of my Whole and Natural Foods Chef Training Program) and again, above and beyond. I must also note that Jean’s boyfriend Al gamely and bravely drove us around all day in Sydney before the shoot, as we shopped the rather mammoth list. Let me say right now, I couldn’t have done it without them, and when you see the shots (next May :) ), I hope you will feel and see the friendship and love reflected. This includes my truly amazing editorial team at Murdoch Books – who assembled the very talented photographer and stylist, and always have a game plan of excellence. Yes, i was very nervous to begin with, but as soon as I met Cath Muscat (photographer) and Kate Nixon (stylist), I knew all would be fine – both such talented, professional and generous women. We all worked extremely hard to get through the shots – Jean, Angie and myself baking – Angie making us amazing lunches each day to keep us going and running out for emergency errands – Kate never stopped tweaking until the shot was just right and didn’t blink when I said a couple of times – “I really don’t like it” and Cath with her eagle eye keeping on until the shot was more beautiful than I could have imagined. Even though I’m not a fan of blue, Kate showed me how beautiful it can look but also thrilled me with that glorious purply/eggplanty coloured fabric and tone above, and I am so in love with the cup and saucer below.
Our days started with a planning session and finished when the light was fading. Sydney chose to put on some stormy rain, but even in the dim and fading light at the end of the day, Cath pushed the envelope to get some glorious shots. And the recipes behaved – it was great to see both Jean and Angie just go to the recipe, and they turned out brilliantly. So fingers crossed, they should for you also.
Even though it was full on from dawn to dusk, really how lucky am I? As Kate was setting up a shoot on the second day I commented that food (the way I like and do food) is exactly the same as my days as a fashion designer. I’m doing the same thing, but with a different (and more meaningful) medium. They are both about beauty. Before it was the beauty of a fabric, a line of cut or stitching and now I work with the textures, flavours and food that nature more directly provides. But both have the deeper layers of beauty – the friendships, the tears, the colours, textures and I tell you, I consider myself blessed. I loved, loved the opportunity to work with Kate and Cath in such a professional manner, the shots are so beautiful and I hope that when you see them, you will love them too.
I know there’s no recipe here this month – 7 weeks away back and forth from East to West, just home with a desk that demands to be taken care of and the Autumn garden planted over the past 2 days. What am I eating you may well ask? While staying with Jean last week her daughter Violet and I made a killer apple pie (with this gorgeous rolling pin I bought for Violet). Right now I’ve roasted up the abundance of eggplant in the garden (fragranced with fresh basil) ready to layer with a lamb mince sort of bolognaese. I’m going to top it with a bechamel – it’s going to be a big Parmigiana/Moussaka/Lasagne kind of thing which I’m serving with a large rocket (from the garden) salad. I plan on enough for left overs tomorrow. As the oven was on, I’ve roasted up some pumpkin from the garden also, cooked a pot of quinoa for the beginnings of a salad lunch tomorrow. Hopefully by then I will have settled back into Perth time with enough brain to think what to eat. Next blog is going to be on Children and Snacks – I wanted to extend the seminar I did in Sydney with Rosalba Courtney and Holly Davis. I couldn’t answer all questions, and snacking (and foods for snacking) seemed to be a hot topic. Stay Tuned.
x Jude
Nightshade Season
EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA
One of my favourite late summer dishes is Eggplant Parmigiana (from my first book Wholefood – heal, nourish, delight) – it always makes a welcome appearance at this time of the year. Do you steer away from this hardy and abundant vegetable because you’re just a little scared of it? It does have that rather intimidating reputation of being bitter and requiring salting – giving you extra work and preparation for good measure. But you know, I don’t think I’ve ever found a well grown eggplant, that when picked immediately ripe and not left on the bush for the seed to develop, to be bitter. And there – in lies the key. Eggplant must be picked when just ripe and not a minute later, with a bright and lustrous skin and firm flesh. I only salt an eggplant if it is older and has a lot of seed development, but you know a good grower or retailer shouldn’t be selling you an older one. And that’s all the more reason to make this now, as this is the time they are just perfect – their 15 minutes of fame.
This is also the season of nightshades –this vegetable family includes the potato, capsicum, tomato and eggplant, and are high in alkaloids that affect the way we absorb calcium. When you look at most traditional dishes made with these vegetables they generally include a rich calcium source – most often dairy. When you cannot include milk or cheese, make sure you provide plentiful calcium in other ways – such as sea vegetables, and bone (including fish) stocks. In a vegan diet especially, or a dairy free diet, nightshades should be eaten with caution, if you have no rich calcium source to pair them with.
Essentially, the parmigiana consists of eggplant coated in a bread – crumb mix, (you can alternatively just use the maize flour as I prefer to do, and is in the photo below), fried in olive oil then layered with a tomato sauce and topped with cheese and baked. I love how the maize flour gives some heft to the end result – no need for any other grain or bread for serving. It can also be made by baking or grilling eggplant slices and thus reducing the fat used. I cook both, with a preference for the traditional frying – it gives it a far deeper flavour. I would serve this with a large Greek salad, loaded with greens, olives and lots of garlic. A predominantly nightshade dish ( eggplants and tomatoes), it is traditionally paired with cheese, which buffers the effects of the nightshades. For a dairy free option, you could include tofu ricotta. You won’t have cheese on top, but it will still come out of the oven looking gorgeous – just sprinkle it with some fresh parsley to balance the colour.
The key to this dish is time – time to make a good tomato sauce and time to let the eggplant fry. I either make the sauce from scatch (lots of tomatoes around right now) or use tomatoes from a can. My latest fave are the Organic Crushed Roma Tomatoes from Spiral. I love that they are in glass, already well cooked and dark in colour but feel guilty when I do, as there are all those fresh tomatoes around right now. Both recipes are in my book Wholefood – heal, nourish, delight, but it’s very easy.
Splosh a bit of oil in a saucepan (I sometimes add ghee or butter), chop up an onion ( I like purple), lots of garlic, LOTS of fresh basil, let them gently saute for 10 mins until really, really lovely and lightly golden, then add tomatoes – the Spiral jar is 709gms worth. Rinse out the jar with a little water, add 1 – 4 teaspoons something sweet to balance acidity (Rapadura, Apple Juice Concentrate or juice) and leave to cook s l o w l y for 1 – 1/2 hour, stirring often, until thick and gorgeous. If you are using fresh tomatoes, skin them first if you like, then chop them and add to the pot. Don’t be tempted to add extra liquid – cover with a lid and leave over a very, very gentle heat until all the juices have sweated out – approx 20 – 30 minutes, then on you go as above.
One thing – you’ll notice two different dishes – I forgot to take a picture of the first one when cooked ! But, you will see they are both cast iron. Really, a dish makes a huge difference, and if you can do this in cast iron, you’ll get a better end result as the sauces bubbles and reduces at the hot edges brilliantly. As noted, there is a bit of time involved in making the whole dish, but it makes a lot – the recipe below makes enough to serve 2 – 4. But I go all out, and do extra (I made the two dishes worth you see here, with one large sauce batch and one fry up session), as I love left over parmigiana. Honestly it just gets better and is so good for lunch the next day.
EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA
vegetarian and gluten free
2 good size eggplants – the purple globe variety
1 cup approx maize flour
1 teaspoon dried basil
generous sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups approx tomato sauce
handful of good melting cheese
sprinkle of parmesan or pecorino cheese
Prepare your eggplants.
If the eggplants have been salted, wash the eggplant slices well in water. Shake the excess water off them, but don’t pat them dry with a towel – the wetness of the eggplant helps stick the flour on. Mix the maize flour and dried basil together (or alternatively just 1 cup maize flour and the basil) in a dish and pat the flour mixture on both sides of the eggplant – you can be quite generous. If you havn’t salted the eggplant, simply wet them as described above, to help stick the flour.
Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frypan over a moderate heat. Use only enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Eggplant will soak up as much oil as you give it, so you are going to have to be the one in control here. Don’t heat the oil to smoking point – check for readiness by dropping a little of the flour in it – if it sizzles, it is ready.
Place as many pieces of eggplant as you can fit in one layer, in the pan. Cook over a moderate heat until the slice is golden, then turn and continue on the other side. When you turn the slices, you may have to add a little more oil. It is best to let the cooking happen slowly, but with sizzle – each side takes approx 5 -10 minutes. I tend to agree with Antonnio Carluccio: he says that as you fry eggplant, they will initially absorb all the fat you give them, then look dry and in danger of burning. His advice, is to keep the heat low and don’t add any extra. As they cook, they will start to release juice and a little oil to provide a good cooking environment. As the slices are ready, leave them to drain on a paper towel while you do the others. You may need to wipe the pan out between every second batch or so – discarding any old oil and flour.
Putting It All Together
Pre Heat Oven to 180c or 165c if fan forced
Using a fairly shallow baking dish, cover the bottom with some of the tomato sauce. Place a layer of slices over this, overlapping them a little. Sprinkle a little freshly ground black pepper and cover with more sauce (but you can see in the picture I decided to add a little fetta cheese and fresh basil here also) then another layer of eggplant slices, then the remaining sauce and sprinkle with a little cheese. Bake for approx 50 – 60 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling.
Try Using:
Roasted red capsicum strips
Beat together ricotta cheese and egg (approx 1 egg to each 125 gm ricotta) and layer between eggplant.
Tofu ricotta layered between eggplant (you’ll find this recipe in Wholefood – heal, nourish, delight)
I’m Ready
CRICKET SUMMER HARVEST QUINICHE (quinoa + quiche)
This is the holiday photo that I love – it’s the evening of my Godfathers 80th birthday at Rottnest just 1 (probably 2 weeks by now!) week ago. It is filled with people I love – my beautiful daughter Nessie, my gorgeous cousin Fran and her children – Josh, Zac and Charli – Jane (they of the Wholefood for Children dedication). We all got time to spend together (Fran and children live in Melbourne) and I got to see extended family that I haven’t seen for years. You can see the Rottnest homes are very simple – but what does one really need anyway? The picture reminds me of how I came to feel whilst there – I slowed down and did indeed knit soul and mind together. If I was a wool scarf, I would be truly coloured with deep and vibrant hues (no washing out) and no dropped stitches or odd bits – I think the scarf could be called beautiful. I feel calm and strong. I feel clear, whole and vital.
And I did read Joel Salatins’ new book “Folks, This Ain’t Normal – A Farmers Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People and a Better World” – in a word, loved it. Get it. My favourite bit….
” Long after the final i-gadget has been discovered, we’ll still yearn for hugs, kisses and personal conversation. When we’ve travelled to the last exotic place and finished participating in the last recreational or entertainment venue on our list, we will want a haven and we will call it home”.
And with apologies to Joel (not meaning to plagiarise him) I would say this…
Long after we’ve achieved everything we have on our list, long after we’ve tried to do it all and skipped meals, grabbed a snack on the run or eaten the latest, fastest, 30 minute or 4 ingredients only meal, or thrown a frozen meal in the microwave, we will still do best – and indeed thrive – with whole and real food, and we will still yearn to slow down, to come home to the welcome smell of food cooking, and to sit with people that matter and talk, share and eat.
The food we eat, the way we eat it and the pace of most lives today are just not normal. Certainly, yes people have worked very, very hard over the centuries and years, but they also understood the need for food as fuel, how food connects you to the earth (and the heavens I would add), when to stop and how important real, good and whole food is. They stopped and ate – and most often in some sort of community. This ‘normal’ that we see now? The prevailing view that skipping meals is fine, eating carbohydrate, sugar and caffeine drinks all day is fine? That good and true fats are evil? That’s not normal and good food should come before the heading out of the home for the job, or sending the child of to school, and a piece of bread with jam is not breakfast. I know this has always been at the very core of my work, but Joel triggered for me a slightly different way of seeing it – the un – normalness of it all (if that indeed is a word).
This year? This year I’m going to focus on what’s normal, and that’s cooking real food and making time to eat it. To help you get back into the kitchen given everything that is going on – I know realistically that there are time constraints – indeed one of the most often requests I get is similar to this ” how to survive the busy days”. This is the work at hand.
I’ve gone on above because at Rottnest I began to feel normal again – but I suspect that when soul and mind are together, things feel right – normal. I’m going to hang on to that thought and feeling. I suspect the trick lies somewhere in stopping long enough to slow down just a little, and ensure that you have that space each day… and good food to fuel you each day. It’s a true thing that when the body has the appropriate fuel, life, work, stress and everything is so much easier. It’s funny how when a feeling surfaces, others pick it up too – you might also love reading Shauna James Aherns‘ blog on Going Quiet – there’s a lot of wisdom there.
So 2012, life – I’m ready to dive in….
So, to the food.
Because it was a special occasion, I wanted to make dessert – trifle is perfect for this and it’s a favourite, but it also reminds me of my Aunt Biddy (my godfathers mother and my aunt) who (as a single mother – her husband died after the war – and full time teacher) always presented the most fabulous table and trifle, at family gatherings in her home. She always found the time. It was my way of feeling she was there. The day before I made a proper berry jelly – I’m fussy about the gelatine I use and prefer the Bernard Jensen – it’s made from healthy cows – I wouldn’t touch anything else. You can get it here. I also added a slosh of the French Liqueur Chambord – traditionally made from red and black raspberries, oh my, it’s so good – I also used it liberally on the sponge. Next step, I made a classic pastry cream (with lots of vanilla seed) and folded whipped cream into it. I layered it with a gluten free genoise I had made, the fruits Zac and Nessie had seeded, good sloshes of Chambord, jelly cubes and topped with the pastry cream and sprinkled with toasted almonds. No one complained.
Back on the mainland, home and to the recipe for this blog. I needed something for a very hot summer evening, portable for the cricket. I had zucchini, rainbow chard, onion and basil in the garden. Eggs in the fridge and some cooked quinoa.
It was quick and simple (fits the time issue perfectly) – having said this I did have some quinoa already cooked in the fridge – but that is the other thing – make extra – because it’s only going to save you the next day. That’s not the best example in the photo above – I overcooked it – the eggs cook quickly – too long and it can be a bit dense, but it was still delicious. Extra delicious with a tomato relish. Lots of vegetables, egg and quinoa giving it a bit more nutrient density. It’s not a huge recipe , so you may want to double it (3 of us woofed most of it down with salad).
CRICKET SUMMER HARVEST QUINICHE
Gluten Free
This sliced brilliantly, and was sturdy enough for me to grab a bit the next morning to eat in my hands whilst I watered the garden (= great for lunchboxes).
I used medium sized chard leaves – you may need more if they are very young. Include some of the stem, but not too much. Err on the side of using your fingers to feel that it is just cooked through, and if you need to put it under the grill (broiler) to brown the cheese.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + extra for brushing on baking dish
small knob of butter
1 medium onion – finely chopped (mine was red, but anything will do)
3 – 4 medium leaves of silverbeet or rainbow chard – washed and sliced, stems chopped
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 zucchini /200gm grated
sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
big handful fresh basil, roughly sliced
100 – 200 gm fetta, crumbled
1 cup cooked quinoa
3 eggs
Grated cheese to top – I used a cheddar and some parmesan
Gently heat the olive oil and butter in a medium frypan. Add the onion and chard stems, cook for 5 minutes or so over a medium heat, or the onions are becoming translucent, stirring from time to time. Add the chard leaves, garlic, zucchini and a good pinch of sea salt – cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring every now and then or until the zucchini and chard have released all of their waters. Then increase the heat and cook until the water has evaporated off and you can give them just a little fry to develop the flavour. Add the basil and stir through. Because I couldn’t be bothered to wash the pan I set this aside to cool, and added the rest of the ingredients to the frypan. But if you need it sooner, you’ll need to turn the mix into a bowl – the pan will be too hot and cook the eggs. Leave until the vegetable mix has cooled a little and add the fetta, quinoa, eggs and season to taste with extra salt if needed and the pepper.
Lightly oil a 20cm dish (I used a china one) now – don’t do it too early or the oil will slide down the dish. Add the mix, spread evenly and top with the grated cheese and parmesan.
Bake in a moderate oven (180c – from 150 – 165c in a fan forced oven) for 10 – 15 minutes or until the egg is set. If the cheese is not golden enough, pop it under the grill.
Going Green
Hearty Winter Meals from the Vegetable Garden
I have more greens in my garden than I can handle – the winter rains (thank goodness) have made everything grow, grow, grow – honestly, I think they grow as I stand there watching them. Because my garden went in late this year (Anzac Day – 25th April), the big boys have not yet matured – broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and leeks, but the greens – silverbeet, rainbow chard, Tuscan black kale, freckles lettuce, english spinach and coriander have -they’re all grown up and are ready to party.
Rainbow Chard” width=”480″ height=”http://wholefoodcooking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_0590-375×500.jpg”> Rainbow Chard
If you look hard you can see the freckles lettuce (an heirloom variety), and the english spinach with the sugar snap peas beginning to climb.” width=”480″ height=”http://wholefoodcooking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_0600-375×500.jpg”> If you look hard you can see the freckles lettuce (an heirloom variety), and the english spinach with the sugar snap peas beginning to climb.So what to do with this bounty? For breakfast I’m picking big, fat leaves of english spinach and folding it into an egg scramble (but would also be good with a tofu scramble – there is a recipe for that in Wholefood – heal, nourish, delight) with coriander thrown in at the last minute. The smaller leaves are going into salads (my current fave is the Beetroot, Goats Cheese salad from Coming Home to Eat, Wholefood for the Family), or tossed simply into butter to wilt with salt, pepper and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg as a side dish, or folded into the soups at the last minute – the young Tuscan black kale leaves are great for that also. But with it’s oxalic acid, silverbeet/chard is best cooked – so it’s going into lasagne, quiche, Hunza Pie from Wholefood – heal, nourish, delight, and the silverbeet and pasta gratin from that book also (as does the english spinach and kale). I also made the yummiest ‘sausage’ rolls the other night, with cooked silverbeet (you can see it cut on the table in the picture above), drained well, chopped up and mixed with some cooked onion and mushroom, pesto (made in late summer and stored in the freezer) and ricotta. A young goats cheese (I would use the Ringwould Blanc, here in Western Australia) or if you wanted a dairy free version of this, you could use the tofu ricotta from Wholefood – heal, nourish, delight. So – lots, and lots of options!! Heidi Swanson also has a great recipe for chard (silverbeet) and white beans, in her book Super Natural Cooking, it’s simple and delicious. But, I thought we’d do this – Chard, Mushroom and Rice Bake. This is the dish I was making as I wrote my introduction to my previous book, Coming Home to Eat. I’ve been cooking it for years and it was a regular as my daughter Nessie was growing up, in one version or another. This version sees the addition of the high protein grain, Amaranth. When served with a dessert, it makes a simple and sustaining dinner, it packs well in a lunch box, or can be gently warmed for breakfast. It keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.
I’d love to hear about your meals from the winter garden, and whilst we are updating this blog page so we can chat freely, facebook is also a great forum. I’ll look forward to hearing about them!
A note to anonymous who asked about cocao powder – I’m going to answer that on facebook!
As a note, I really prefer to blanch my silverbeet/chard in a large pot of boiling, salted water rather than fry it in a pan – it gives a much softer texture. Place them in the pot stem first, and cook for 2 – 5 minutes, depending on how old or tough the stems are.
Still a few tomatoes left from my farmer!! I like to do this in cast iron, this is a favourite Mario Batali one I got for $20.00 (yes you read right) in the U.S
Cooked and Yummy
Mushroom, Chard or Silverbeet, Rice Bake
You can bake this in virtually any ovenproof dish, but a loaf shaped dish makes it great for cutting. I use my favourite cast iron loaf pan, measuring 28cm x 8cm, with a depth of 4cm, taking 85 mins to cook. The fundamental rule is the deeper the dish, the longer it will take to cook.
1/4 cup medium grain brown rice
1 teaspoons amaranth.
1 teaspoon whey or lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons butter or ghee
1 onion, finely sliced
150 gm mushrooms, sliced 5mm thick and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
300 gm Rainbow Chard or Silverbeet, any thick stem chopped off.
½ cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
250 gm ricotta cheese
2 eggs
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tomato thinly sliced
¼ cup pine nuts, roughly chopped
Add the rice, amaranth, whey and ½ cup water to a small bowl. Cover and leave to sit out on the bench (or in the fridge when the weather is warmer) over night or during the day.
Because amaranth is so fine, draining the soaking liquid really doesn’t work. Just place the entire contents – rice, amaranth and soaking water, in a small pot, cover and gently bring to the boil. Cook over low heat, making sure no steam escapes through the lid. Cook for 45 – 50 mins from the time it comes to the boil. Check at about 40 mins, and if you’re absolutely sure there’s not enough water, add a touch more. Amaranth doesn’t cook pretty – it may all look a bit stodgy, but will be fine when embraced by all the other ingredients. When cooked turn into a medium size mixing bowl.
Pre heat the oven to 180c
Add the olive oil and butter to a medium frying pan with the onion and mushrooms. Cook over a medium – high heat for approx 5 mins, stirring every now and then. The mushroom should be lightly browned and there should be no liquid in the pan. Add the garlic, and stir through, cooking for another minute. Add the mushroom mix to the grains. Add the rainbow chard and 1 tablespoon water, and cook over a gentle heat, turning a few times, until it is well wilted. Give it a squeeze with some tongs, and drain off any liquid that remains. Add the chard to the mushroom and grain mix, stirring through. Leave to cool for a few minutes before adding the parmesan, ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper, and stir through well.
Place the mixture into a baking dish, patting it down. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Bake for 60 – 80 mins, or until the centre is set. It will ooze and bubble around the sides a little, this is fine, and will add to the flavour. Allow to cool a little before serving.
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