Do you make your own bread?

I was interested to read this article about the environmental benefits of making your own bread, with a breadmaker. These include the use of bulk materials and less travel and packaging. Further, it is alleged that a bread machine can do doughs, artisan breads, gluten-free loafs, and even jams and chutneys.

In our house we're not big bread eaters. We struggle to finish a loaf in a week. So for us it would most likely not be cost effective. Further I'm not meant to eat wheat so we invariably buy some kind of organic, whole loaf anyway. But for a big family it may be the way to go, what do you think?

Are there other things you make from scratch rather than buy? A dear friend makes the most amazing jams and chutneys and I've featured the benefits of making your own shortbread and I also like to make scones. We'll also soon be subject to an influx of zucchinis which will nessitate some busy baking. I'd also like to try making tomato sauces for presents.

Our first zucchini!

We were very excited to find our first zucchini grown in the veggie patch! The zucchinis are a light pale green with a soft prickly fur on the outside, ensuring no bugs get near!

As we were going for Dalyesford for the weekend, I proceeded to make a zucchini cake! I varied the recipe somewhat and used dates instead of raisins and sultanas and almonds instead of walnuts and added some grated carrot. Very yummy!

Home going for beginners-free workshop-November 13

Paul, Adam and Nathan from Permablitz are inviting all to this free 2-hour seminar on how and why to successfully grow your own veges and fruit.Arrive at 6:45 for a cuppa before the 7pm start.No RSVP required.

For more information email permablitz@gmail.com
Address:
Kindness House - 288 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.

Time: 18:45 -21:00

Free silverbeet!

Our veggie garden is overflowing with silverbeet! It's been a staple in all kinds of veggie dishes and also got me into making silverbeet and fetta pastries the other night. They were a hit for all of us, even the young child we were babysitting!

I don't have any pics, but here's how it goes...

Ingredients:

onion

silverbeet

parsley

mushrooms

tomato

fetta cheese

puff pastry

salt and pepper

nutmeg

Method:

1. lightly saute all veggies. The silverbeet shrinks considerably so use more than you thought needs.

2. add cheese and condiments and mix through. Allow to cool.

3. Defrost puff pastry ( I must confess I've never made my own)

4. Cut pastry into triangles, spoon mix to the centre and fold over pasty. Seal by tweaking the edges.

5.Bake at 200c for about 20 mins or until golden.

You could certainly add tofu and/or whisked eggs if you would like more protein.

So, if you are based in Melbourne and would like some silverbeet, please let us know. We also have an ample quantity of rosemary growing in our front garden.

A is for apples!

I've decided to include local fruit in my spring recipes so stay tuned for some lovely fruit and vegetable recipes over spring. It doesn't look particularly spring like here in Melbourne, there are dark clouds and it's been raining earlier. But anyhow....

Many different types of apples are in season at the moment: Jonathan, Golden and Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, pink lady, sundowner and Lady Williams. But my co-blogger's favourite apple happens to be Braeburn and he was so delighted that it is now available in Australia that I'm dedicating these apple recipes to the Braeburn variety.

Apple Caramel Bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups butter - cold
• 1 1/2 cups apple - peeled, chopped
• 
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Grease the baking pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray, set aside.
• In large bowl, combine flour, quick oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and egg. Cut in the butter and mix well until ingredients are crumbly.
• Remove 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and set aside. Press the crumb mixture into the baking pan, bake for 15 minutes in the oven.
• While crust is baking, combine caramel topping and 1/4 cup flour in small bowl; mix well.
• Sprinkle the apples over the baked crust. Drizzle the caramel mixture over the top of the apples. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the caramel.
• Place back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
• Let cool completely before serving; approximately 2 hours.
• Cut into 2" squares and serve.

Baked Stuffed Apples

I'm trying these for breakfast!

Ingredients

1 Braeburn apple

2 g ground cinnamon

1 g ground nutmeg

10 g white sugar

30 g cream cheese

8 g dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. Cut the stem out of the apple and hollow out the center until it is about 1 1/2 inches wide without going through the bottom. In a small cup, stir together the cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Set aside half of this mixture, and mix the rest with the cream cheese and dried cranberries.

3. Sprinkle some of the reserved cinnamon sugar into the apple's cavity. Fill with the cream cheese mixture, and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on the top. Place the apple in a small baking dish.

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the apple is tender enough to easily pierce with a fork.

ambiguity is the devil's tetherball...

Recipe: Apple & Cucumber Sammy

1 slice of Bread (Organic White or Wheat)
1 TBSP Cream Cheese
1/2 Braeburn Apple, thinly sliced
1/4 English Cucumber, thinly sliced

Toast your bread, and spread a thin layer of cheese. Cut your slice of bread in half. Cover one half of the slice of bread with apple slices, and the other side with cucumber slices. Assemble sandwich. (Eat any leftover apples and cucumbers, cause they're good for you!)

Gardening shennanigans!

I bought these little birds at St Andrews Markets the other week:




Here they are protecting the lettuce and silverbeet:






Pretty flowers grown from seed:


Cabbages, garlic, chives and parsley are all going well:



Celery is ready to harvest!



And to celebrate, I'm making celery soup! We have lots of celery so stay tuned for more celery recipes...

Celery Soup Times Ten Recipe
Ingredients

1 bunch celery (including leaves), chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth
1 potato, peeled and finely shredded
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and ground white pepper
1/2 cup whipping cream or half and half

Directions

In large saucepan, saute celery and onion in a small amount of olive oil just until vegetables begin to brown.

Stir in stock or broth. Bring to a boil.
Stir in potato, reduce heat and simmer 30 to 45 minutes.
Cool slightly. Puree in food processor or blender.
Return to saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Stir in cream or half and half.
Ladle into bowls to serve hot, garnished with a celery leaf.
Chill if serving cold. Ladle into bowls and garnish with finely chopped celery and leaves for "crunch".
Enjoy!

W is for Watercress!

Today dear readers, is the 2nd day of spring! Woo! Stay tuned for recipes using spring vegetables. I hope you have enjoyed the recipes as much as I have :-)


I've not tried watercress recipes extensively, as I've found it hard to buy, particularly if you don't want to go to big supermarkets. If you can't find it and would like to try these recipes, I'd substitute salad greens of your choice.

Goat's Cheese and Watercress Quiche

FOR THE PASTRY

• 225g gluten-free flour , plus extra for rolling
• 100g butter
• 1 large egg , beaten, plus extra beaten egg for brushing

FOR THE FILLING

• 1 medium onion , finely chopped
• 1 tbsp oil
• 100g watercress , roughly chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 150ml milk
• 150ml log soft rindless goat's cheese , in rough chunks
• freshly grated nutmeg , optional

Method:

1. Put the flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg and about 1-2 tbsp water to form a soft dough. Knead well then wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Knead the pastry again and roll it out to line a 20cm loose-bottomed flan tin (the pastry won't shrink, so no need to chill). Patch holes with spare pastry and brush the base and sides with egg.
3. For the filling, fry the onion in the oil until just soft, add the watercress and cook until just wilted. Beat the eggs and milk and stir in the watercress mixture and goat's cheese.
4. Season and if you like, add a pinch of nutmeg. Put the flan tin on a bakingsheet and bake the pastry blind for 5 minutes. Add the filling and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 180C/gas 4/ fan 160C and cook for 25-30 minutes or until lightly set

Watercress and Pinenut Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of watercress
• 1 cup of fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup of cream
• 2 tbsp of toasted pine nuts
• 3 tbsp of plain mayonnaise
• salt and pepper

Method:

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Pick all the leaves from a bunch of watercress. Together with a cup of fresh parsley leaves, throw the watercress in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain well and mix the blanched leaves with 1/4 cup of cream. Puree and pass through a sieve.

Place in a saucepan and boil gently until only about 3 tablespoons of green paste is left. Puree 2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts and add to the paste. Stir in 3 tablespoons plain mayonnaise and season.

T is for turnips!

If the thought of greyish, mushy boiled turnip makes your stomach turn, then read again and see if you can gain a greater appreciation for the tastiness of the humble turnip.



According to wikipedia you might want to consider the swede, (yellow) turnip, swedish a root which originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip. Its leaves can also be eaten as a leaf vegetable. It looks like this:
My experience with turnips is most commonly seeing them packaged in a 'soup' vegetable packet at the supermarket containing carrots, turnips, parsnips, onion and celery. I've been determined to find tastier ways to cook and consume...


Turnip and Fennel Flan



Ingredients:

• 400g white turnips
• 400g fennel, trimmed weight
• 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp mascarpone
• 120g egg whites
• 2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 40g butter
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 8 baby turnips, very thinly sliced into rounds
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 6 tbsp chives, finely sliced

Method:

Peel the 400g of turnips and slice into 1/2 cm thick rounds. Trim outer leaves from fennel and cut into 1/2 cm slices.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and plunge in turnips, fennel and onion for 3-4 minutes until tender. Drain, cool a little and roughly chop, then mix with mascarpone.

Beat egg whites and rosemary together lightly with a fork and mix with turnips, fennel and onion. Season well with salt and pepper.

Butter six 12cm diameter ramekins and fill with mixture to a depth of 2cm. Bake in a preheated 160C oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a frypan and fry baby turnip slices on both sides until golden.

Drain on absorbent paper. Serve flans with turnip slices on top as well as diced tomato and finish with chopped chives.

Serves 6

Turnip and Potato Patties

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 1/3 cups)
  
• 6 oz potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp thinly sliced scallion green
• 1 egg, beaten lightly
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Grapeseed oil, peanut oil, or canola oil (high smoke point vegetable oils)
• Salt and pepper

Method

1 In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the turnip and potato cubes for 15 to 17 minutes, until they are tender, and drain them. In a bowl, mash them with a fork and stir in the scallions, the egg, flour, and salt and pepper to taste.

2 Coat the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed skillet with about 1/4-inch of the oil. Heat the pan on medium high heat until the surface of the oil begins to shimmer, but not smoke. Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of the turnip potato batter into the pan, flattening them into 1/2-inch thick patties with the back of a spatula. Fry the patties until they are golden, turning them once, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the patties to paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Makes six patties.

Honey-Glazed Rutabaga or Turnip

Doesn't have a picture but it sounds good!

2 lb Rutabaga or turnips

2 tb Butter

1/4 c Liquid honey

1/4 ts Ground ginger

Salt and pepper

Ingredients

Peel rutabaga and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices; halve or quarter slices. In pot of boiling salted water, cook rutabaga for 15 minutes (turnips for 8 minutes) or just until tender; drain.

Stir in butter; cook over high heat, shaking pan often, for 1 minute or until coated. Stir in honey, ginger, and salt and pepper to taste; cook, stirring often, for 1 minute or until glazed. Makes 4 servings

S is for Sweet Potato!

Sweet potatoes are much loved by many people. The thing I find most fascinating about them is that they are as commonly used in sweet dishes as savory recipes. So without further ado...

Image from here


Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes- peeled, cut into narrow wedges
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
A few dashes of cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 450°F.

Gently toss potatoes, oil, salt and pepper in large bowl until potatoes are evenly coated. Divide potatoes between two large cookie sheets or jelly-roll pans. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients

• 454 g sweet potato
• 115 g butter, softened
• 200 g white sugar
• 120 ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 g ground nutmeg
• 1 g ground cinnamon
• 5 ml vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions

Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.

1. Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.

2. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

4 large or 6 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
2 tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup soy creamer or soymilk
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cups chopped pecans
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray (or wipe with canola oil).

Mash the sweet potatoes with the margarine until smooth. Add the soy creamer, orange juice, vanilla, sugar, maple syrup, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour into prepared casserole dish.

Mix the topping ingredients together until well-combined. Spread or sprinkle over the casserole and bake for 45 minutes or until hot throughout.

P is for Parsnips

I have to be honest with you, parsnips are actually my most hated vegetable. I've tried to like them but I don't really and have often come across them in dishes hoping they were potato. But they are quite good blended to disguise the taste, and here's some ideas for those of you who love them:

Root Vegetable Crumble

Ingredients

Serves 4

300g Chantenay carrots or baby carrots (or small carrots, chopped into chunks)
500g peeled and cubed mixed root vegetables eg parsnips, sweet potato, swede, celeriac, kohlrabi
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
40g plain flour
40g butter
400ml milk
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp crème fraiche
1 tbsp horseradish
50g grated mature cheddar
50g wholemeal breadcrumbs
sea salt and black pepper
some grated nutmeg

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180DegC.
   
   
2. Heat a frying pan, add the olive oil and sauté the Chantenay carrots and the mixed root vegetables and onion for 4-5 minutes, until softening. Season with sea salt, black pepper and some grated nutmeg.
   
   
3. Place in an oven proof dish.
   
   
4. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and mix together and cook the mixture for 1 minute. Do not brown. Remove from the heat, pour in the milk and whisk the mixture until smooth. Place back on the heat and slowly bring to the boil, whisking constantly until just boiling. Simmer for 1 minute, remove from the heat.
   
   
5. Add the horseradish, crème fraiche, season well, pour over the vegetable mixtures.
   
   
6. Mix together the cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the vegetables. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes so the vegetables are cooked and the topping is golden brown.

Parsnip Crisps

These would be great at a party I reckon!

Ingredients

Parsnips

vegetable oil

salt

Peel and slice the parsnip. It is important to make sure that the slices are all the same thickness so that they all cook at the same time. They do not need to be as thin as you would expect potato chips to be I would suggest to try about 1/2 cm thick. Boil the parsnip for five minutes and then strain of the water and leave to cool. Spread out on a baking sheet and brush with some oil. Bake in a preheated 160 degree oven for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Check every 5 minutes as they can burn very easily.

Great served warm or cold on their own sprinkled with salt or with dips.

Roasted parsnips with caper vinaigrette

Yotam Ottolenghi's roast parsnips. Photograph: Colin Campbell

The addition of vinaigrette to freshly roasted vegetables gives them a freshness and juiciness they don't normally have; the acidity brings out new shades of flavour, too. The combinations are endless - try adding yam or salsify, or celeriac and beetroot. Furthermore, the dressing can easily take a sweet note, if you prefer - just omit the capers and add honey or maple syrup. Fold in some fresh herbs, such as basil or oregano, chopped at the last moment, and a little grated lemon zest to take it even further. Just try. Serves four.

4 parsnips (around 700g in total)

2 red onions

90ml olive oil

4 sprigs of thyme

2 sprigs of rosemary

1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally

Salt and black pepper

2 sweet potatoes (around 600g)

20 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp white-wine vinegar

2 tbsp baby capers (or larger ones roughly chopped)

1 tsp mustard

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ gas mark 4. Peel the parsnips and cut them into two or three segments, depending on their lengths. Cut each piece lengthways into two or four - you want pieces that are roughly 5cm long and 1.5cm wide. Top and tail the onions, peel them and cut each into six wedges.

Place the parsnips and onions in a large mixing bowl and add 60ml of olive oil, the thyme, rosemary, garlic, a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Mix and spread out on a large roasting tin. Roast for 35 minutes.

While the parsnips are cooking, top and tail the sweet potatoes. Cut them (with their skins) into two widthways and then cut each half into six wedges. Add the potatoes to the tray with the parsnips and onions, stir and return to the oven for another 35-45 minutes.

Once all the vegetables are cooked through and golden brown, stir in the halved tomatoes and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Whisk together the vinegar, capers, mustard, 30ml of oil and half a teaspoon of salt, and pour over the roasting vegetables the moment they come out of the oven. Stir, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Scatter the sesame seeds over the top and serve straight from the tin.

The True Cost of Food-Tonight

Just a reminder:

A kilogram of beef contains between 15,000 and 100,000 litres of embodied water. For every kilogram of wheat grown in Australia, seven kilograms of topsoil are lost. We give lip service to concerns about peak oil and greenhouse gases, yet our agricultural industry is utterly dependent on unsustainable quantities of polluting petrochemicals.

There’s no reason why this insanity can’t be quickly and effortlessly changed to a geoist system of economics which inherently recognises the true value of natural resources. The major obstacle to change actually lies with the peddlers of our current neoclassical economics. You can side with these peddlers and relax, ignore the food riots, have a beer and flick on the TV, or you can come and be prepared in the knowledge that will help in the transition away from the consequences of our dietary choices.

Speaker: Karl Williams (a.k.a. Mr. Ed)
Time: 7 pm, Friday August 1st
Venue: EarthSharing Australia, 1st Floor, 27 Hardware Lane, Melbourne

All welcome, light supper provided, gold coin donation,RSVP appreciated to Karl Fitzgerald or via 9670-2754

K is for Kale

pic from here

We had friends over for lunch on saturday and one bought a big bag of home grown vegetables including some rather wonderful kale. I put some in a veggie thai green curry with tofu but cooked the rest last night with some home grown spring onions, parsley, chilli, brocolini and parmesan and added some pasta-delish!

Here's some recipes I've found:

North African Chickpea and Kale Soup




1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced or diced
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8-1/4 teaspoon chilli powder or cayenne
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
generous pinch saffron, lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
8 cups vegetable broth (or water plus bouillon)
1 large bunch kale, thick center ribs removed and chopped (at least 8 cups)
about 2 cups water
salt to taste

Spray a large saucepan with olive oil spray and heat it. Add the onion and carrot and cook over medium-high heat until the onion begins to brown (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the spices, including bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the chickpeas and stir to coat them with the spices. Pour in the 8 cups of vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the chopped kale and stir. If necessary add water to cover the kale and cook until it is tender, about 10-25 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your kale. Check frequently to see if it is becoming dry and add water as needed. Add salt to taste and serve.


Winter Vegetable Hash

• 45 ml olive oil
• 30 g butter
• 455 g Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• 225 g fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small acorn squash, diced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 6 g garlic powder
• 1 g salt
• 1 g ground black pepper
• 65 g chopped kale
• 4 sprigs fresh sage

DIRECTIONS

1. Place oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and mix in potatoes, mushrooms, pepper, squash, and shallot. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender.
2. Mix kale and sage into skillet. Continue cooking 5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Serve and enjoy!

Kale and Roquefort Parcels

I'm a sucker for pastry so will be trying these for sure!

Ingredients

250g shortcrust pastry 200g kale (or Swiss chard or winter spinach) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 100g blue cheese, e.g. Roquefort or Stilton Handful pine nuts Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Heat a large frying pan with no oil and toast the pine nuts for 2 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and set on one side. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently sauté the onion with the garlic for 10 minutes until it is soft. Wash the kale well and dry thoroughly. Shred it finely. Add the kale to the pan and sauté with the lid on for 5 minutes, until the kale is wilted. Then remove the lid and continue to cook until most of the moisture has evaporated. Roughly chop the pine nuts and mix in with the kale. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir well. Roll out the pastry to about ½ cm thick. Use a saucer and a knife to cut 4 circles, to make the pasties. Put 2-3 tablespoons of filling into the middle of each pasty. Crumble the blue on top of the filling. Brush the edges of each circle with a little milk or beaten egg, then seal together to make a pasty shape. Brush the top of the pasty with milk or egg. Put on a greased baking tray and bake for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crispy.

C is for Cauliflower

Well winter veggies are certainly overrepresented in the beginning of the alphabet! But from tomorrow we take a significant leap down the list...

But for today:

I like cauliflower (not as much a broccoli though), we are even growing some in the garden. When all the 'low carb' eating was the rage, I used to see a lot of recipes that substituted cauli for mashed potato. But I was never fooled.

Cauiliflower and Potato Pie

• 1 cauliflower, separated into florets
• 11/2 cups mashed potato or 3-4 cooked potatoes
• 3 tablespoons cream or sour cream
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan or other hard cheese (our hard tomme cheese is fine)

Preheat oven to 180degrees Celsius. Steam cauliflower. Drain very well. Process for 30 seconds in a food processor or chop by hand. Mix cauliflower with potato (crush the cooked potatoes, if using). Add cream and seasonings. Use half the oil to grease an ovenproof pie plate or gratin dish, then drizzle with remaining oil and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.


Cauliflower Poppers



1 large head of cauliflower
juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried dill
fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Directions:

These are soooo good - sometimes when I want a light dinner I'll just make a batch and eat it all myself, easily as good as French fries!

Preheat the oven to 400, and separate the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients and toss with the cauliflower, then bake for 40 minutes, stirring once about halfway through the cooking time.

They're ready when they get nicely browned and they're tender but not mushy -- I like to leave mine in until they get chewy blackened parts, but that's just me. ^^

Serves: 4-5

Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 40 to bake

Fresh Pappardelle With Cauliflower and Zucchini

Serves 3-4

• 2 heads garlic (if roasting, or 1-2 minced cloves if just sauteeing)
• 4 T. butter
• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
  
• 1-2 medium zucchini, cut into 4 lengthwise strips and then sliced 1/2 thick
• pinch of tarragon
• 1 lb fresh pappardelle noodles
• black pepper
• salt
• pecorino romano, cut thin with a vegetable peeler

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Put your serving bowls somewhere to warm.
2. If you want to roast the garlic, trim the upper 1/4" off of each head, rub them with some olive oil, wrap in tin foil and place in the toaster oven (or regular oven) at 400 F for about 40 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork. If you don't have that kind of time, skip it and just add a minced clove or two to the saute.
3. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, melt 3 T of the butter. Add the cauliflower, and stir. Add a couple tablespoons of water and cover for a couple of minutes, until just starting to become tender. Squeeze in the cloves of roasted garlic, taking care not to add the skins. Add the tarragon and 1 t. of salt. Add the zucchini and stir occasionally. Check the seasoning.
4. When the vegetables are 3 minutes from done (probably just after you add the zucchini) turn them down to the low heat and drop the noodles in the boiling water.
5. When the noodles are al dente (about 3 minutes for fresh pasta), drain them and toss with the remaining 1 T. of butter.
6. Divide the noodles among heated bowls, top with 1/4 of the vegetable saute, several nice shavings of pecorino and freshly ground pepper.

The True Cost of Food

A kilogram of beef contains between 15,000 and 100,000 litres of embodied water. For every kilogram of wheat grown in Australia, seven kilograms of topsoil are lost. We give lip service to concerns about peak oil and greenhouse gases, yet our agricultural industry is utterly dependent on unsustainable quantities of polluting petrochemicals.

"There’s no reason why this insanity can’t be quickly and effortlessly changed to a geoist system of economics which inherently recognises the true value of natural resources. The major obstacle to change actually lies with the peddlers of our current neoclassical economics. You can side with these peddlers and relax, ignore the food riots, have a beer and flick on the TV, or you can come and be prepared in the knowledge that will help in the transition away from the consequences of our dietary choices".

Speaker: Karl Williams (a.k.a. Mr. Ed)
Time: 7 pm, Friday August 1st
Venue: EarthSharing Australia, 1st Floor, 27 Hardware Lane, Melbourne

All welcome, light supper provided, gold coin donation,RSVP appreciated to Karl Fitzgerald or via 9670-2754

C is for carrots

I've never been much of a fan of raw carrots I must confess. Carrot juice even less so. But baked carrots are definitely the bomb!


Baked Carrots
Ingredients :

4 cups of carrots, sliced.
½ cup of water.
6 tablespoons of butter.
2 tablespoons of sugar.
1 teaspoon of nutmeg.
1 teaspoon of salt.

Instructions:

In a casserole dish, mix the sugar, nutmeg and salt with water.

Add the carrots and dab them with butter.

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes.

Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes.

Serve.

Carrot soup

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 leek, halved lengthways, thinly sliced
• 6 carrots, peeled, chopped
• 4cm piece ginger, peeled, grated
• 2 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• light sour cream, dill, and toast, to serve

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek, carrots and ginger. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until vegetables start to soften.
2. Add stock and water to saucepan. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until carrots are very tender.
3. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly. Process or blend soup until smooth. Return to saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with sour cream and dill. Serve with toast.

Super Food Ideas - April 2004 , Page 30

Recipe by Alison Roberts


Vegan Carrot Cake

Ingredients

- 200 g grated carrots
- 200 g whole grain flour
- 100 g brown sugar
- 1 handful of walnuts or hazelnuts
- 2 tablespoons of raisins
- 1 tablespoons of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- nutmeg
- ground cinnamon
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1/4 cup of mild olive oil
- salt
Instructions:

1. Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Add a pinch of every spice listed and a bit of salt.

2. Add the liquid ingredients and mix until homogeneous.

3. Place it on a baking tray covered with margarine or baking paper

4. Bake at 170 ºC for 45 minutes.

5. Decorate with chocolate shavings or powdered sugar. Let it cool down before you slice it.

NB-I've had several bunnies living with me over the years and the whole carrot thing is a bit of a myth. Buns shouldn't be fed carrots except as an occasional treat, they are far too high in sugar. My buns favourite veggies were parsley, celery and asian greens.

Real Food Film Nights #3

Lost in Palm Oil
Wednesday 9th July, 6.30pm
Loop Bar, 23 Myers Place, Melbourne

The feature documentary ‘Lost in Palm Oil’ (63 min) investigates the negative impacts that oil palm plantations have on forests, climate change, water pollution, biodiversity, with a focus on Indigenous communities in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. How does this relate to food? Palm oil shows us that food issues, forests, people, culture and animals are interconnected. Palm Oil is used in 1 in 10 supermarket products, yet there no requirement for it to be labelled.

Guest speaker Jessica McKelson from the Melbourne Zoo Orangutan Sanctuary will present an uplifting slide show of her recent trip to Nyaru Menteng Gunung Leseur National Park in Indonesia where she saw the impacts of Palm Oil on the Orangutan population first hand. The wild organutan population is heading towards extinction, but the rescues and release work witnessed by Jess gives us hope that there is a future for them.

The film nights so far have been awesome! I strongly recommend this one. To find out more check out FOE

Real Food Film Festival

Last night I enjoyed the first of the Real Food Film Nights.
This included two films:

Store Wars
and

The World According to Monsanto

This is a brilliant film and definitely worth a look. You can view it online here

Next Week's Screening:
Tuesday 1st July 6.30pm sharp

The short documentary on Melbourne’s ‘Food not Bombs’ (6 min) and

‘We feed the world’ (95 min - subtitles) which investigates food and globalisation, fishermen and farmers, drivers and high-powered corporate executives, the flow of goods and cash, a film about scarcity amid plenty. Desert consists of the spoof Matrix animation titled ‘Meatrix’ (5 min) where Moothius and Leo discover the impacts of factory farming.

Free Entry.

Drinks and food available from the bar.

Seating is limited and RSVP is preferred.

For bookings and more information, email realfood@melbourne.foe.org.au

Organised by: Friends of the Earth Melbourne Real Food group

Supported by: Loop Bar, 23 Meyers Place Melbourne