Monthly Archives: April 2013

OKG School Holiday Program – Wednesday 24th April 2013

Posted on April 26, 2013 by melhm
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Wednesday’s menu

MENU
Introduction – Knife Licences

MORNING TEA
Mushroom and rocket frittate*
Apple and cinnamon compote with vanilla yoghurt*
Ava’s orange Anzacs*

Chook care – Garden walk & herb id
Harvesting

LUNCH
Autumn fridge soup*
Pumpkin gnocchi with burnt butter and sage*
Lettuces and radish salad with poached eggs and tarragon mayo*

Seedlings & seeds
Sustainability
Take home: start a herb garden!

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Herb ID & beautiful drawings

And another day dawned bright and clear in the Kitchen Garden Cottage… we had another set of talented and keen children who got stuck in right away & produced some delicious work! As well as the enormous amount of cooking we did, we also had some great discussions about keeping chooks, and what Sustainability means and how we can help our planet… and how growing your own veggies and herbs, cooking at home, choosing less packaging, and recycling and re-using can help, especially if we’re all doing it!

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Smiling faces!

We got to do a little harvesting and potted our own herbs to take home – and cooked up such a storm that everyone was really full! It was a lovely day, calm and productive… and delicious! (If you would like to reproduce some of the fabulous dishes, click on the asterisked links in the menu to be redirected to the recipes!)

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Can we start?!

And one last thanks to all the helpers – thanks to Kelly, Erin and the lovely Sharon from Sydney Mum for being the beacons of help and teaching! As always, the helpers are crucial in maintaining momentum (and for the cleaning up at the end!)

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The lovely Sharon!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! See you next time xx

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Lettuces, rocket and radish salad with poached eggs and tarragon mayo

Posted on April 26, 2013 by melhm

The list of ingredients we can add to a salad is endless… here we base our salads on salad leaves, fresh herbs and then seasonal additions. This one is a favourite with just-poached eggs and a wonderfully creamy dressing. We always try to have a salad on the table for every meal – I find at the beginning of new year the children are reluctant to eat lettuce leaves or radishes, but that changes as they become used to seeing the bowls on the table, and the difference of ingredients according to the seasons…

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Perfect yolky salad!

Fresh from the garden: Lettuces leaves, rocket, eggs, cucumber, radishes, tarragon, chives, oregano, thyme, marjoram, parsley
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 6 or 24 tastes

Equipment:
  • Bowls – 2 large, 1 medium, 2 small
  • A salad spinner
  • Tea towel, kitchen paper
  • Chopping boards & knives
  • Peelers
  • Mandoline
  • Non-stick frying pan
  • Slotted spoon
  • Stick blender & cup
  • Measuring: jug, teaspoon, ½ teaspoon
  • Scales
  • Mezzaluna
  • Citrus juicer
  • Serving bowls

Ingredients:

  • 4 freshest free-range eggs
  • A bunch of salad & rocket leaves
  • A handful of herbs
  • A few garnishing flowers
  • A cucumber
  • Some radishes

For the tarragon mayonnaise:

  • 50g landcress
  • 1 large sprig tarragon
  • 1 extra egg
  • ½ teaspoon flaked salt
  • 1 small clove garlic
  • 1 level teaspoon mustard powder
  • 120ml rice bran or veg oil
  • 25ml olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • ½ a lemon
  • Freshly milled black pepper

What to do:

For the salad:

  • Fill up the 2 big bowls with cold water & wash the salad leaves in several changes of water. Spin dry and wipe the bowls dry.
  • Lay out the tea towel and line it with kitchen paper. Spread the salad leaves over the paper and roll the whole lot up like a log. Keep the rolled parcel of leaves in the fridge until needed.
  • Fill up another bowl with water and wash the herbs and small garnishing leaves. Spin dry and  pick leaves, discarding stalks into compost.
  • Pick the petals from the flowers and reserve in a small bowl with the garnishing leaves.
  • Chop the herbs and keep separate in their own small bowl.
  • Wash the cucumber and peel if spiky. Slice into mouth-sized pieces.
  • Wash the radishes and trim any roots and stalk. Slice into smaller pieces or chunks – or even better, use the mandoline to carefully slice super-thin discs.

To poach the eggs:

  • Fill a medium-sized frying pan with water to a depth of approximately 4cm, then heat it to a temperature just sufficient to keep the water at a bare simmer.
  • Then break the eggs into the simmering water, one at a time until they’re all in, and let them cook, uncovered, for 2 or 3 minutes. Fill a large bowl with cold water.
  • The eggs are done when the white is no longer wobbly, then use a draining spoon to lift them from the water and transfer them to the bowl of cold water until you are ready to use them.

For the sauce:

  • Wash, spin dry and separate off the landcress leaves and discard any tough stalks into the compost.  Wash & spin dry the tarragon. Pick the tarragon to yield about 1 tablespoon leaves.
  • Squeeze the lemon half to yield ½ teaspoon lemon juice. Peel the garlic clove & finely chop. Wash & dry the chives and snip finely.
  • Now break the extra egg into the cup of the stock blender, add the salt, garlic, mustard powder and a few twists of freshly milled black pepper, then blitz to blend these together.
  • Now mix the oils in the jug and ask a helper to pour it in a thin trickle into the cup whilst it’s blending. When all the oil is in, add the vinegar, lemon juice, watercress and tarragon leaves, then blend again until the leaves are quite finely chopped.

 To serve:

  • Take the lettuce from the fridge and chop or tear into mouth-sized strips. Pop them into a big bowl, then add the spring onions and herbs & drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of white wine vinegar  & a sprinkle of flaked salt over the whole lot.
  • Using your hands, turn the leaves to coat in the dressing and then divide the lot among your serving bowls.
  • Spoon an egg at a time out of the water and dry off with some paper towel or a tea towel, and then carefully arrange one egg on each salad.
  • Drizzle the mayo over the top of each salad, followed by a sprinkle of a few of the snipped chives and the flowers and serve immediately with tongs or service cutlery.

Notes: What is mayo short for? What other salad dressings could you use? Why do we need to wash the leaves so well? Why do we roll the leaves up to put them in the fridge? When would you need to use vinegar to poach the eggs? Why do we reserve the cooked eggs in cold water?

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Eggcellent salads!

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Pumpkin gnocchi with burnt butter and sage

Posted on April 25, 2013 by melhm

Don’t be put off thinking that these gnocchi are too hard to make! The trick here is to lightly knead the dough so that the gnocchi too are light… super-yum! And once you’ve had a go you will NEVER buy packaged gnocchi ever again! The crispy sage is a big hit too – get the kids to have a smell of the savoury and almost meaty sage leaves, and then compare after the leaves have sizzled in the butter…

And if you’re interested in the gluten-free version, see below!*

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Pumpkin gnocchi, burnt butter and sage

Fresh from the garden: potatoes, pumpkin, sage
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Stephanie Alexander, Kitchen Garden Cooking W/ Kids
Serves: 6-8 or about 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Ovenproof serving dishes
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Peelers, grater, scales
  • Medium saucepan
  • Wok & steamer basket
  • Bowls – med, small
  • Skewer, colander
  • Baking tray, Mouli food mill
  • Measures – tablespoon
  • Pastry scraper, slotted spoon
  • Frying pan with 5cm sides
  • Non-stick frying pan
 Ingredients:

  • 500g potatoes (use Nicola or Desiree)
  • Cooking salt
  • 600g pumpkin (use a dry-fleshed variety, such as butternut)
  • 320g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 80g Parmesan
  • 20 large sage leaves
  • 150g butter
  • Ground nutmeg
  • Flaked salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Gnocchi ready for the pan

What to do:

  • Preheat the oven to 120C and place serving dishes in the oven to keep warm. Peel the potatoes, cut into chunks, then place in a saucepan with a teaspoon ofcooking salt and enough cold water to cover generously. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes.
  • Peel and seed the pumpkin. Weigh to make sure you have 500g and cut into bite-sized chunks. Place a wok over a high heat and pour in enough hot water to come a third of the way up the sides. Rest a bamboo steamer on top and spread the pumpkin cubes out in it; cover and steam for 10 minutes. Set the pumpkin aside. Meanwhile weigh the parmesan and grate.
  • Check the potatoes are tender with a skewer then drain, return to the saucepan, shake over the heat to dry out and tip into a bowl. In a separate, small bowl, place the flour. Set this aside until needed.
  • Lightly flour the workbench and the baking tray, and have the measured flour close by. Squash the pumpkin and potato through the coarsest disc of the food mill to form a loose mound on the bench. Sprinkle with a good pinch of flaked salt. Sieve most of the flour over the vegetable mound and, quickly but lightly, combine. Knead briefly until the dough is smooth, using a little more flour if necessary.
  • Cut the dough into four pieces and, with your fingers, roll each into a sausage 2-3cm wide. Cut each “sausage” into pieces 2cm long and place on the floured baking tray.
  • Fill a high-sided frying pan with water, add a teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Drop in as many gnocchi as will fit easily in a layer. Adjust the heat to a simmer. When the gnocchi rise to the surface (about three minutes), lift out with a slotted spoon, drain well and slip into the warmed serving dishes. Return to the oven after adding each batch of gnocchi. Scatter over the Parmesan and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
  • Spread the sage leaves in the non-stick frying pan and add the butter. Fry until the leaves are crisp and the butter has become a medium-brown colour. Spoon the sage leaves and butter over the gnocchi in the serving dish and add some ground pepper. Place heatproof mats on the tables and serve the gnocchi in the ovenproof dishes.

*Gluten-free note: We took off about 100g of the milled potato and pumpkin mixture and combined it with about 30g gluten-free plain flour, the results were fabulous – check these babies out:

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Gluten-free pumpkin gnocchi

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Apple and cinnamon compote with vanilla yoghurt

Posted on April 25, 2013 by melhm

This recipe is a goody for Mothers’ Day coming up – imagine your mama waking up to the smell of this bubbling away on the stovetop, just in time for a lazy breakfast-in-bed?! You’ll have brownie points at least for the rest of the day! And if Dad’s making it just for them, tell him to splosh a tablespoon or so of Calvados or Cognac in too…

Fresh from the garden: apples, lemon
Recipe source: Compote adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart
Serves: 6 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Bowls – large, medium
  • Colander
  • Peelers
  • Chopping board & knives
  • Citrus juicer
  • Large saucepan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measures – scales, jug, ¼ cup, tablespoon
  • Spatula
  • Small sauce bowls
  • Serving bowls & plates
 Ingredients:

  • 1.5kg apples, such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • A cinnamon quill
  • 2 cloves
  • 200ml Greek yoghurt
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar

What to do:

  • Wash the apples, then peel them, cut into quarters and then carefully cut out the inner core. You may need to ask an adult to help. Discard the cores into the compost, then chop the remaining pieces into 2cm cubes. Put the cubes into the saucepan.
  • Cut the lemon in half and juice one half to yield 2 tablespoons, measuring them into the saucepan.
  • Combine the rest of the ingredients into the saucepan. Cover, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile prepare the yoghurt: halve the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds from inside each half. Mix these into the yoghurt with the tablespoon of white caster sugar, and divide into small sauce bowls. Chill until ready to serve.
  • When the compote is ready, divide it among your serving bowls. Place the bowls on a serving plate with the small yoghurt bowl and serve!

Notes: What are cloves – are they garlic? What is Greek yoghurt? What could you add to this dish to make it even yummier? What is a compote?

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Mushroom and rocket frittate

Posted on April 25, 2013 by melhm

We love eggs! They are so versatile… and we also love the magic combination of eggs with mushrooms… this recipe has heaps of different things to do so great for budding chefs! The original also calls for spinach but we had heaps of rocket to use instead – the pepperiness isn’t so obvious once the rocket has wilted…

Fresh from the garden: spring onions, mushrooms, rocket, thyme, eggs
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart
Serves: 12 frittate or about 30 small

Equipment:

  • Muffin tins (12-hole large or 2 x 24-hole mini)
  • Pastry brush
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Bowls – large, medium
  • Salad spinner
  • Large frying pan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Whisk, spoons
  • Scales
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for greasing
  • 2 spring onions
  • 300g mushrooms of your choice!
  • 300g fresh rocket
  • A sprig or two of thyme
  • A good grind of pepper
  • 1 pinch flaked salt
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 100g feta cheese

 

What to do:

  • Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease the muffin tin holes with a pastry brush and a teaspoon or 2 of olive oil.
  • Wash the spring onions, stripping the first layer off and trimming any dried-up ugly parts.  Thinly slice the white & green parts but keep them in separate bowls.
  • Wipe the mushrooms with a piece of paper towel – do not wash them! Slice finely.
  • Wash and spin-dry the rocket. Roll it up & slice into thin ribbons.
  • Wash and wipe the thyme dry, then strip from the stalks.
  • In the frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook the white parts of spring onions, stirring for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, thyme, pepper and salt and cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally until no liquid remains and mushrooms are light golden for about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the rocket and cook, stirring, until wilted for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and then stir in the green parts of green onions. Divide among the muffin cups and set aside.
  • Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk lightly, then add the milk and beat again. Spoon the egg mixture evenly among muffin cups. Weigh the feta cheese & then crumble it up and then sprinkle into each hole.
  • Bake in 180C oven until edges are set, about 10 minutes for the large (or 7-8 minutes for the small) then let cool in pan on rack for a few minutes.
  • Divide among serving plates. Yum!

Notes: Why do we separate the spring onion parts? Why shouldn’t we wash mushrooms?What does thyme smell like? Where does the word frittate come from?

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Spelt pasta

Posted on April 25, 2013 by melhm

Our Kitchen Garden students love making pasta! This recipe uses spelt flour, an ancient grain that is slightly nutty. Spelt has a lower gluten content than wheat flour, and whilst not suitable for a coeliac diet, can be eaten by those with a low threshold gluten intolerance.

ourkitchengarden.net

Spelt linguine with quick pesto

Fresh from the garden: eggs
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Sean Moran at Sean’s Panaroma
Makes: about 600g pasta, enough for 6, or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Scales
  • Stand mixer, bowl & paddle
  • Pasta machines
  • Measures – tablespoon
  • Plastic film
  • Large knife
  • Pastry brush
 Ingredients:

  • 570g spelt flour plus extra
  • 4 free-range eggs
  • 15ml water

 What to do:

  • Weigh the flour into the bowl of the mixer, then with the motor running, add the eggs one at a time. Process for a few minutes until the dough clings together and feels quite springy.
  • Tip the dough onto a clean, dry workbench. Knead the dough for a few minutes, then wrap it in plastic film and let it rest for about an hour at room temperature.

_______________________________________________________________

  • Get an adult to help fix the pasta machine to a suitable bench. Screw the clamp very tightly.
  • Set up your pasta hanging poles, ideally between 2 chairs.
  • Clear a large space on the workbench alongside the pasta machine. All surfaces must be clean and dry. Press the dough into a rectangle about 8 cm wide.
  • Set the rollers on the pasta machine to the widest setting and pass the dough through. The dough will probably look quite ragged at this stage. Fold it in 3, turn it 90 degrees and roll it through again. Go to the next-thickest setting and pass the dough through 3-4 times.
  • Continue in this manner (changing the settings and passing the dough through) until the dough has passed through the second thinnest setting. Don’t use the very thinnest setting, as the dough gets too fine and is hard to manage. If the dough gets too long to handle comfortably, cut it into 2-3 pieces using the large knife, and roll each piece separately.
  • Depending on which type of pasta you want, you can either lay the strips out on a lightly-floured table and cut them by hand, or you can fix the cutter attachment to the machine and carefully roll the pasta strips into strips for linguine or the thinner cutters for angel hair, gently catching them as they come through.
  • Drape the pasta over the hanging poles to dry while you make your sauce.
  • Clean the pasta machine parts by brushing them down with a dry pastry brush, pop the collected parts back into their boxes, and then clear and clean the table.

Notes: Never wash the pasta machine – it will rust! Just brush down with a strong pastry brush to remove the leftover dough.

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Busy hands!

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Rhubarb and pear compote with vanilla yoghurt

Posted on April 25, 2013 by melhm

This recipe is a goody for Mothers’ Day coming up – imagine your mama waking up to the smell of this bubbling away on the stovetop, just in time for a lazy breakfast-in-bed?! You’ll have brownie points at least for the rest of the day!

ourkitchengarden.net

Rhubarb and pear compote, vanilla yoghurt

Fresh from the garden: orange, rhubarb, pears
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Tracy Rutherford in Australian Good Taste
Serves: 6 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Paper towel
  • Microplane zester
  • Chopping board & knives
  • Bowls – large, medium, small
  • Measures – ¼ cup, tablespoon
  • Peelers
  • Large saucepan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Colander
  • Spatula
  • Small sauce bowls
  • Serving bowls & plates
 Ingredients:

  • 1 orange
  • 1/4 cup caster sugar
  • 1 bunch (about 700g) rhubarb
  • 4 ripe pears
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Vanilla yoghurt

  • 200ml Greek yoghurt
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar

 What to do:

  • Wash and wipe the orange dry. Zest into a small bowl, then cut the orange in half and then juice to yield ¼ cup.
  • Trim the rhubarb, discarding the leaves into the rubbish (not the compost). Wash well, then chop into 3cm lengths.
  • Wash the pears and peel. Slice into quarters and then cut out the core. Slice the wedges in half again.
  • Place the orange juice and sugar in a large saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
  • Add the rhubarb, pear, orange zest and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for a further 5 minutes or until fruit is tender and liquid thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes to cool.
  • Meanwhile prepare the yoghurt: halve the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds from inside each half. Mix these into the yoghurt with the tablespoon of white caster sugar, and divide into small sauce bowls. Chill until ready to serve.
  • When the compote is ready, divide it among your serving bowls. Place them on a serving plate with the small yoghurt bowl and serve!

Notes: Why do we discard the rhubarb leaves into the rubbish?  What is Greek yoghurt? What could you sprinkle on to this dish to make it even yummier? What is a compote?

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OKG School Holiday Program – Tuesday 23rd April 2013

Posted on April 25, 2013 by melhm
ourkitchengarden.net

Tuesday’s menu

MENU

Introduction – Knife Licences

 MORNING TEA
Carrot muffins with garlic butter*
Rhubarb and pear compote with vanilla yoghurt*
Ava’s orange Anzacs* 

Chook care – Garden Walk – Herb id
Harvesting

LUNCH
Chickpea and green veggie soup*
Spelt rags* with quick pesto*
Warm beetroot & quinoa tabbouleh*

Seedlings & seeds
Sustainability
Take home: start a herb garden!

ourkitchengarden.net

The most perfect cup of chickpea & green veggie soup!

Well! We came, we saw, we conquered! Conquered the peeling, the chopping, the boiling, blending, the baking, the eating – and the washing up! We had such a wonderful time – the children were so helpful and enthusiastic, and made super delicious food. And I think we all learnt something new… Thanks to all the wonderful kids who attended, you are all so inspiring!

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Warm beetroot & quinoa tabbouleh

If you’d like to try the recipes at home, click on the asterisked menu listings above to be directed…  xx

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OKG Knife Licence

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Dee Nolan’s kabuli chickpeas, leek and green veggie soup

Posted on April 20, 2013 by melhm

Late last year I bumped in to Dee Nolan at Sean’s and we soon got chatting about her amazing olive oils (Sean’s pours the Nolan’s Road Extra Virgin Delicate with the malt scrolls and cracked wheat log) and her organic, South Australian kabuli chickpeas – as well as the great deeds done in the SAKGP schools… Soon after I was the beneficiary at school of a wonderful gift from Nolan’s Road: a huge box of Dee’s chickpeas! Regular readers of this site will know how much I love to blend up these quick-cooking* chickpeas for Yotam’s hummus, but I’ve also been waiting for an excuse to simmer up some seasonal soup…

Rugged up against a cold, windy and rainy autumn day? Perfect!

ourkitchengarden.net

Nolan’s Road delivery!

Fresh from the garden: potato, leeks, garlic, bok choy, cabbage, kale, spinach, silverbeet
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: about 6 or 30 tastes

Equipment:

  • Scales
  • 2 large saucepans with lid
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Peeler
  • Grater
  • Kettle
  • Colander
  • Bowls – big, med
  • Mandoline
  • Stick blender
  • Measures – lt jug, tablespoon
  • Wooden spoon, ladle
  • Serving bowls
 Ingredients:

  • 250g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
  • 1 large potato
  • 2 large leeks
  • A bunch of leafy green veg: bok choy, cabbage, kale, spinach, silverbeet
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 knob of butter
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Flaked salt and freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1 litre boiling water with 1 rounded tablespoon bouillon or 1 litre stock
  • 50g parmesan

What to do:

  • Rinse soaked chickpeas, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, slice off tough bits of leek skin.  Slit from top to bottom and rinse thoroughly under running water to get rid of any mud trapped between layers of the vegetable.  Slice finely.
  • Peel the potato under running water and then slice finely using the mandoline.
  • Peel and finely slice the garlic. Grate the parmesan.
  • Warm a thick-bottomed pan, and add the tablespoon of oil and the knob of butter. Add the leeks and garlic to the pan and sweat gently with a good pinch of salt until tender and sweet – 5 minutes at least. Add the sliced potato and turn in the buttery mixture.
  • Drain the chickpeas and then add to the leeks and sliced potato and cook for 1 minute. Add about two-thirds of the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile wash the leafy veg thoroughly, shake dry and chop into bite-sized pieces.
  • With about 5 minutes to go, add any veggie stalks in to the soup, and then after a minute or two add in the leaves, stirring to combine & wilt.
  • Pour half the soup out into the 2nd pot and puree with the stick blender. Leave the other half whole, and then pour back in together – pureeing half gives a lovely smooth comforting feel but also keeps a bit of texture. Now add enough of the remaining stock to achieve the consistency you like.
  • Check for seasoning, ladle into bowls to serve and add a sprinkle of parmesan to finish.

 Notes: Why do we soak the chickpeas overnight? What’s the number one rule with the mandoline? What is sweating the leeks?

ourkitchengarden.net

Nolan’s Road kabuli chickpea, leek & green veggie soup

*If you’re researching recipes from European or US books or websites you may read that the chickpeas, once you’ve soaked them overnight, will need an hour or more of  boiling. I find that the Nolan’s Road chickpeas take less than half that time so start checking after about 20 minutes!

And PS. If you can be organised enough to soak your chickpeas in advance, DO IT!!! Whilst I also keep tins of chickpeas, borlotti beans, cannellini et al in my pantry, there is simply nothing better than long-soaked and freshly cooked ones, plus you avoid the nasty BPA-lined tins. Hooray!

 

 

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Crispy rosemary flatbread

Posted on April 20, 2013 by melhm

Smittenkitchen says: Nothing could be easier than making this cracker, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tell people you slaved all day over it because they’re going to be impressed, and I see no reason not to milk it. I think you could easily swap the rosemary for other herbs, such as thyme or tarragon, or punch it up with black pepper or other spices, but personally, I like it just the way it is here.

ourkitchengarden.net

Crispy crispy!

Fresh from the garden: rosemary
Recipe source: adapted by smittenkitchen.com from a recipe in Gourmet magazine
Serves: 8 or about 30 tastes

Equipment:

  • 3 heavy, large baking sheets
  • Paper towel
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Measures: cup, ½ cup, ¼ cup, tablespoon, ½ teaspoon
  • Baking paper
  • Large bowl
  • Rolling pins
  • Pastry brushes
  • Wire racks
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • 3½ cups unbleached plain flour
  • 4 large sprigs rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cooking salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
  • Flaky sea salt

What to do:

  • Preheat oven to 230°C with 3 heavy baking sheets inside.
  • Wash, dry and chop 1 sprig of rosemary.
  • Stir together flour, 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in centre, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.
  • Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out each piece separately on sheets of baking paper into shapes large enough to fit  each baking tray (shape can be rustic; dough should be thin).
  • Lightly brush the tops with additional oil and then strip the remaining rosemary, scattering small clusters of leaves on top, pressing in slightly. Sprinkle with flaked salt.
  • Slide rounds (still on baking paper) onto the preheated baking sheets and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Transfer flatbread (discard baking paper) to racks to cool.
  • Break into pieces and serve.
  • Flatbread can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Notes: Why is this called flatbread? Why is this unleavened bread? What is kneading?

Categories: Kitchen Garden, Recipe | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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