Posts Tagged With: kids

Cannellini bean, kale and rainbow chard soup

Posted on August 21, 2013 by melhm

Our kids love soup – blended and smooth or chunky and funky – and this one makes the most of our winter garden veg. At home please add some toasted buttery sourdough rubbed with garlic!

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: celery, carrots, onion, garlic, potatoes, kale, rainbow chard
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 8 or 24 tastes

ourkitchengarden.net

Equipment:

  • Bowls – glass, large, small
  • Kettle
  • Measures: cup, tablespoon
  • Colander, sieve
  • 2 saucepans, med and large
  • Chopping boards and knives
  • Peelers & garlic press
  • Wooden spoon
  • Ladle
  • Serving bowls

 

 

 Ingredients:

  • 150g dried cannellini beans
  • 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 brown onion
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1.5 litres boiling water & 1.5 tablespoons bouillon (or 1.5 litres vegetable stock)
  • 2 Desiree or other red potatoes
  • One large bunch kale
  • A couple of stalks of rainbow chard
  • Flaked salt and black pepper

What to do:

  • The night before, soak the cannellini beans in plenty of cold water with a teaspoon of bicarb.
  • At the beginning of the lesson, drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the smaller saucepan with plenty of water to cover and the bay leaves. Peel 2 of the garlic cloves and add them whole to the pan. Heat on high to boil and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring every now and then.
  • Fill the kettle and set it to boil.
  • Wash and shake the celery dry and chop into small pieces. Wash and peel the carrots and chop into small pieces.
  • Wash and chop the potatoes into 2cm cubes, leaving the skin on.
  • Peel and finely dice the onion. Peel and squeeze the remaining 3 cloves of garlic through the press.
  • Wash the kale and chard in several changes of water, and then shake dry. Trim the stalks from the kale and discard. Trim the stalks from the chard and chop into 5mm pieces, keeping separate. Roll up the kale and chard leaves and slice or tear into 1cm strips.
  • In the larger saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering.
  • Add the celery, carrots, and onion, and cook, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute or so, and then add the potatoes and stir to coat.
  • Using caution, measure the litre of boiling water into the jug and stir the bouillon in. Add to the vegetables and simmer for about 15 minutes.
  • Strain the beans & garlic and add to the vegetables with the kale and chard stalks and simmer for another 10 minutes, then add the chopped chard and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Check for correct seasoning, then ladle out into serving bowls.
  • ourkitchengarden.net
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Kitchen Garden news – 1st August 2013

Posted on August 21, 2013 by melhm

ourkitchengarden.net

We’re back in the swing of things in the cottage and my word, how the children have grown! I swear that they’ve all grown 20cm since last term! It is wonderful to see them again – and lovely to taste the amazing dishes they have been preparing in the last two weeks.

The garden held an interesting array of goodies for us upon our return from the holidays – a little bit of broccoli, a handful of snowpeas, a bunch of coriander, loads of parsley, some juicy radishes nudging their heads out of the soil, a few branches of kale, a forest of rhubarb, a hundred lemons, a thousand eggs, and two dozen beautifully straight carrots planted with care in term two… What to use to compile a tasty menu? This is what we cooked from the spoils: a Warm salad of Nolan’s Road chickpeas and kale with Greek yoghurt  (the unexpected hit of the week), Veggie patch frittata (with sautéed radishes and chopped snowpeas), Broccoli and lemon risotto (with our own bouillon made by 5P last week), Olive and rosemary focaccia (with the bottled Bondi olives that the classes marinated in May this year, and own dried rosemary) and Rhubarb and apple crumble tarts (the expected hit of the week…) So delicious. The recipes are up NOW btw!

We’ve had a few of our regular helpers head back off to work so we are left with quite a few spaces free…  In order to have successful sessions we would love some more volunteers across the 8 sessions a week: if you’re keen to help, please get in touch!

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Warm salad of Nolans Road chickpeas, kale and Greek yoghurt

Posted on July 31, 2013 by melhm

We love our Nolans Road organic Kabuli chickpeas – they’re so fresh they only need about half the cooking time of normal chickpeas – and so worthwhile doing from scratch! Dee Nolan suggests soaking and cooking heaps more than you need, then freezing the rest for another time as they’re easily resurrected!

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: kale, carrots, garlic, mint, coriander, lemon
Recipe source: inspired by the recipes of Yotam Ottolenghi

Equipment:

  • Bowls – glass, large, small
  • Saucepans – med, large & heavy
  • Sieve & colander
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Salad spinner
  • Peeler
  • Garlic press
  • Measures – ½ cup, 1/3 cup, tablespoon, teaspoon
  • Scales
  • Mezzaluna
  • Citrus juicer
  • Serving bowls
 Ingredients:

  • 200g dried chickpeas
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • A large handful kale leaves
  • 1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra to finish
  • 3 medium carrots
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 garlic clove
  • A small handful mint
  • A small handful coriander
  • 1 lemon
  • Cooking salt, flaked salt and black pepper
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

What to do:

  • Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water with a teaspoon of bicarb.*
  • Next day, drain, rinse and simmer them in a big saucepan or about 25 minutes in fresh ­water until tender, then drain.
  • Meanwhile, half-fill the smaller saucepan with water and a teaspoon of salt and set it to boil.
  • Strip the kale leaves from the stalks, discarding the stalks. Roll the leaves up and cut into fine ribbons, then blanch them in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain then refresh under cold running water and squeeze dry.
  • Meanwhile peel then chop the carrots into small dice.
  • Wash and spin the mint (picking the mint leaves) and coriander, then finely chop.
  • Cut the lemon in two and squeeze one half. Peel then crush the garlic clove.
  • Heat up the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots and caraway seeds and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the kale, the drained chickpeas and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
  • Now add the garlic, herbs, a tablespoon of lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  • To serve, mix together the yogurt with a tablespoon of olive oil and another sprinkle of flaked salt and pepper. Pile the vegetables on serving dishes and spoon the yogurt on top. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and serve.

 Notes: Why do we soak the chickpeas overnight? What are other names for chickpeas?

*If you forget to soak the chickpeas the night before (as I have done in the cottage on more than one occasion (!) then boil the chickpeas for an hour and then leave them to soak in that same liquid for another hour. Drain, rinse, and then cook as above…

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Broccoli and lemon risotto

Posted on July 31, 2013 by melhm

This lovely risotto is textural and beautifully herby, and very easy once you get past all the stirring!

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: broccoli, marjoram, garlic, onion, lemon
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 8 or 30 tastes

Equipment:

  • Saucepan
  • Salad spinner
  • Garlic press
  • Bowls – 1 large, small, med
  • Large knife & chopping board
  • Grater & microplane zester
  • Ladle & wooden spoon with a flat end
  • Heavy based stockpot
  • Metric
  • Measures: scales, jug, cup, ¼ cup, tablespoon
  • 4 soup plates to serve
 Ingredients:

  • 2.3 litres  vegetable stock (or  2.3 litres boiling water with 2.5 tablespoons bouillon)
  • A small handful marjoram
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 brown onion
  • 1 large head of broccoli
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 20g butter
  • 500g arborio rice
  • 1 lemon
  • 50g parmesan
  • Cooking salt & black pepper

What to do:

  • Pour the stock into a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer on medium heat.
  • Wash and spin dry the marjoram, strip and discard the stems.
  • Squeeze the garlic cloves through the press into a small bowl. Peel and finely chop the onion.
  • Wash the broccoli & shake dry. Chop the stalk into 5mm cubes and add to the stock, reserving the florets.
  • Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in the stockpot. Add the chopped onion and a cook gently until just tender, about three minutes. Do not brown. Add the garlic and cook gently for another few seconds.
  • Stir in the rice until the grains separate and begin to crackle.
  • Begin adding the simmering stock, a ladle at a time, and stir in. The stock should just cover the rice and bubble. Stir every minute or so for about 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, zest the lemon and grate the parmesan to yield about ½ cup.
  • After about 15 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the rice and keep stirring for about another 5 minutes. When the rice is just tender all the way through but still slightly firm, usually in about 20 minutes, it is done.
  • Add the last ladleful of stock and the rest of the broccoli to the rice. Stir in the marjoram, lemon zest and parmesan, and remove from the heat. Taste now and check the seasoning. The mixture should be creamy.
  • Serve onto the soup plates and eat right away!

Notes: What sort of rice is Arborio? Why do we use this sort of rice? Why do we fry the rice off first? What does ‘yield’ mean? What does to check the seasoning mean?

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Veggie patch fritatta

Posted on July 31, 2013 by melhm

This is such a lovely fresh recipe. Add a beautifully tossed salad & some great bread and you have all the makings of a wonderful and simple lunch or supper. We’ve used what we had in the garden: radishes and snowpeas – so use what YOU have!

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: eggs, onion, radishes, snowpeas, parsley, rocket
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 4 at home or 24 tastes 

Equipment:

  • Chopping board & knife
  • Salad spinner
  • Tea towel
  • Measures: tablespoon
  • Medium ovenproof frying pan
  • Large bowl
  • Whisk
  • Oven mitts
  • 4 serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • An onion
  • A small handful radishes
  • A small handful snowpeas
  • A small handful parsley
  • A tablespoon of butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 12 large eggs
  • Flaked salt and pepper
  • A small handful rocket for garnish

What to do:

  • Preheat the oven with grill element on to 180C.
  • Peel and finely chop the onion. Trim the radishes, wash well and then carefully slice into thin discs.
  • Top, tail and de-string the snowpeas and chop into 4 or 5 pieces. Wash and spin-dry parsley and chop finely.
  • Wash and spin-dry the rocket and roll up in a clean tea towel, reserving in the fridge until needed.
  • Heat the butter and olive oil in the frying pan, and when melted, add the onion and cook on a medium heat until translucent. Then add the radish slices and cook for about 5 minutes until golden. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaked salt and add the snowpeas, tossing to combine.
  • Meanwhile, crack the eggs into the large bowl – making sure there is no shell – and beat them together with a pinch of salt and grind of pepper. Stir in the parsley.
  • When the butter has melted, carefully pour the eggs into the frying pan and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes or until the bottom of the frittata is firm, checking by gently lifting up the frittata up at the side of the pan.
  • Transfer the frying pan to the oven. Bake, checking every couple of minutes or so, just until the top of the frittata is no longer runny. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes more.
  • Carefully remove from the oven with oven mitts – remembering that the handle will be HOT! – and let rest for a few minutes.
  • Then, still holding the handle with the oven mitt place a clean medium chopping board over the frying pan and turn the whole lot upside down so that the frittata falls gently onto the board.
  • Divide the rocket onto the serving plates with a little drizzle of olive oil, cut the frittata into wedges or cubes, and transfer onto the rocket. Serve and eat!
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Rosemary and olive focaccia

Posted on July 31, 2013 by melhm

We love preparing dough at Bondi, and this soft focaccia studded with olives and rosemary is fantastic as part of an antipasto plate or with a hearty soup. We used Our Bondi Olives that were picked in February then brined over the course of two months, marinated (olive oil, orange peel, garlic, fennel seed, bay, thyme) and bottled in May, then cupboard-aged for another 2 months… we also used a combination of fresh rosemary, picked from the stalk, with rosemary spines dried over the last 6 months. A variation:  adding halved cherry tomatoes or preserved artichokes or whatever you feel like!

ourkitchengarden.net

From the garden: olives, rosemary
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe on taste.com
Serves: 8 at home or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Bowls – small, med
  • Measures – jug, teaspoon, tablespoon
  • Scales
  • Stand mixer & dough hook
  • Pastry brush
  • 20 x 30cm Swiss roll pan
  • Clean tea towel
  • Chopping board
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • 310ml warm water
  • 2 teaspoons dried yeast
  • 2 teaspoons caster sugar
  • 3½ tablespoons olive oil
  • 450g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt flakes
  • 1 large sprig of rosemary
  • A jar of our marinated Bondi PS olives

What to do:

To make the dough:

  • Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for about 5 minutes until frothy & bubbling. Then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  • Place flour and half of the flaked salt in the bowl of the mixer. Make a well in the centre and pour in yeast mixture. On the lowest setting, mix for 10 minutes.
  • Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for another minute or so until smooth and elastic. Brush a medium bowl with a little olive oil to grease. Place dough in bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for about an hour until doubled in size.

 Start of lesson:

  • Preheat oven to 200°C.
  • Brush the pan with 2 teaspoons of remaining oil. Punch down the centre of the dough with your fist. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes or until dough is elastic and has returned to original size. Press into the prepared pan. Cover with the clean tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place to prove for 20 minutes or until doubled in height.
  • Meanwhile wash & carefully dry the rosemary and pick the leaves from the stalks. Pit the olives.
  • Use your finger to press dimples into the dough. Brush with remaining oil and sprinkle over the rosemary and remaining salt. Press the olives into the dough.
  • Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and the focaccia sounds hollow when tapped on base. Serve warm or at room temperature, carved into thin slices.
  • While the focaccia is cooking you can make the dough for the next class before cleaning up!

Notes: Why do we wait for the yeast mixture first? What is process of doubling the dough in size called?

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Rhubarb and apple crumble tarts

Posted on July 31, 2013 by melhm

Winter: the perfect time for rhubarb crumble! And here made dainty in the form of little tarts…

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: rhubarb, apple
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 4 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • 4 x 10cm fluted tart tins with removable bases
  • Chopping board and knife
  • Small baking tray
  • Peelers and corer
  • Large saucepan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measures: scales, ½ cup, 1/3 cup, ¼ cup, teaspoon
  • Bowls – large, medium
  • Baking paper & baking beans
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet (25cm) ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
  • 2 granny smith apples
  • 1/2 bunch rhubarb
  • 1/3 cup caster sugar
  • Double cream, to serve

Oaty crumble

  • 50g butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup plain flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

What to do:

  • Preheat oven to 200°C.
  • Bring the pastry out of the freezer and carefully separate one sheet from the others. (You may need to do this with a long bread knife, sliding it between the sheets to break apart). Let the sheet thaw for about 5 – 10 minutes.
  • Place the tins onto a baking tray. With the pastry sheet still on its plastic, divide into quarters, then line your tart tins with the pastry, gently pushing into the corners to shape.
  • Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove from oven.
  • Meanwhile, peel and core the apples and then chop into 1cm pieces. Wash and chop the rhubarb into similar pieces.
  • Place the apple, rhubarb and sugar in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, gently stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until apple and rhubarb have released their juices and are just tender. Remove from heat.
  • To make the crumble, measure the sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon in a medium bowl and stir until well mixed. Then chop up the butter and place into the oat mixture, using your fingertips to rub the butter into the mixture until just combined.
  • Spoon the rhubarb mixture evenly among the crisped pastry cases, then sprinkle with the crumble mixture. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the crumble mixture is golden brown and crisp.
  • Carefully slide out of the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before lifting the tarts out of the cases, placing them on a clean, dry chopping board and slicing into small wedges.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with a dollop of double cream if you like!

Notes: Can you eat rhubarb leaves? Why do we bake the cases first? What is this called? What are baking beans or beans?

ourkitchengarden.net

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Cath Claringbold’s pitta

Posted on June 29, 2013 by melhm

These are great to wrap around salads and especially the Greek slow-roasted lamb featured in this blog! As long as you give it enough time to prove, the rest is easy. The dough can be frozen too – I drizzle a little olive oil into a plastic bag, pop the dough in & tie it tight with a little room to move. It only needs a couple of hours to defrost…

ourkitchengarden.net

Recipe source Cath Claringbold, published in Good Weekend magazine July 2010
Makes 12 individual pittas

Ingredients

  • 1¼ cups tepid water
  • 1½ teaspoons dry yeast
  • 1½ teaspoons caster sugar
  • 460g plain flour
  • ½ teaspoons sea salt
  • ½ cup olive oil

Method
Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl and leave in a warm spot for about 20 minutes or until the mixture foams.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt, then make a well in the centre. Add the olive oil and the yeast mix, and combine. Work the dough until it comes together, then turn out onto a lightly floured bench and and knead for a few minutes until it becomes silky and smooth. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with a towel and leave it to prove for 15-20 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

Preheat the barbecue to medium or heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. (Note: I used a ridged cast iron skillet, worked a treat!)

Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each piece into a flat, thin, even disk about 16cm in diameter.

Brush a flat bread with olive oil and place it, oil side down, on the bars of the barbecue. Gently brush a little oil on top as well. In seconds, the bread will start to puff. After 20-25 seconds, flip it over and cook for 20 seconds more. Do not cook for too long or the bread will dry out and become crisp. Repeat with the remaining disks.

Stack the cooked breads and wrap them tightly in a clean tea towel or even cling wrap to keep them warm. Serve with yummy ingredients & roll up to eat!

ourkitchengarden.net

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Kitchen garden news – 28th June 2013

Posted on June 29, 2013 by melhm

So here we are the end of Term 2 with winter well and truly upon us.  At least winter solstice has been and gone so the days are getting ever-so-slightly longer now…. I do love this time of year though: the oven on and slow-cooking anything in my path, and parking spaces to be found readily around Bondi, and with an almost leisurely commute to school in the mornings!

This week we’ve taken a break from the usual routine to welcome the Year 1 classes to the Kitchen Garden program… it has been lovely to see the wee ones down here and also to say hi to the new wave of Future Volunteers (!) We made some delicious crusty bocconcini and garden herb pizza and slurped some creamy green soup: landcress, potato, rocket and leek this time… I think we all had a great time… And the little aprons looked very cute indeed!

ourkitchengarden.net

And with a tear in my eye I farewell lovely Ella and her family for the time being… Have fun in New York – I can’t wait to see your photos and to hear all about it!

ourkitchengarden.net

Bye bye lovely Ella!

For loads of great photos from the week and recipes updated fortnightly, subscribe here to this blog by clicking the Sign Me Up button on the right!
Cheers all & happy hols! Melissa x

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Creamy rocket, potato and leek soup

Posted on June 29, 2013 by melhm

This soup just morphs every time we have a new garden veg to use… as long as the base includes aromatic veggies like onions, garlic and leek, along with something to thicken like potato (or barley, or rice) and some fabulous vegetables – you can pretty much add anything you like! I served it to the year 1 students to have with their pizza – a taste of soupy things to come!

And if you prefer to have no dairy, then simply substitute the butter with olive oil and omit the creme fraiche… still delish.

ourkitchengarden.net

From the garden: rocket, landcress, leeks, onion, potatoes, chives, garlic, bay
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 8 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Chopping board & knife
  • Scales
  • Small paring knife& scissors
  • Potato peelers
  • Kitchen paper
  • 1 heavy-based stockpot & lid
  • Measuring jug, tablespoon
  • Wooden spoon
  • Stick blender
  • 2 teaspoons
  • Serving bowls
 Ingredients:

  • 3 large bunches landcress
  • A small bunch rocket
  • 1 brown onion
  • 2 leeks
  • 4 medium potatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Small bunch chives
  • 100g butter
  • 1½ litres vegetable or chicken stock (or 1½ litres water and a tablespoon and a half of bouillon)
  • 150ml crème fraîche
  • Flaked salt and black pepper

What to do:

  • Fill up the kettle and set it to boil.
  • Wash the landcress & rocket well and shake dry. Trim any brittle stalks and chop the leaves.
  • Peel and finely chop the onion.
  • Wash the leeks well, inserting a slit down the middle of each and rinsing out any dirt. Trim and chop finely.
  • Peel the potatoes over the sink and wash thoroughly. Chop into 2cm cubes.
  • Wash the chives, carefully shake dry & roll up in a piece of kitchen paper to dry. Snip or chop finely.
  • Melt the butter in the large thick-based saucepan, then add the onion, prepared leeks, potato, garlic and bay leaves and stir them around so that they’re coated with the melted butter. Next sprinkle in some salt then cover with a lid and let the vegetables sweat over a very gentle heat for about 15 minutes, giving the mixture a good stir about halfway through.
  • Meanwhile prepare the stock: Measure 1½ tablespoons of bouillon into the measuring jug and then carefully add a litre and a half of boiling water into it, and stir. You may need to do this in two lots.
  • After that, add the stock, bring everything up to simmering point and simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are quite tender.
  • Add the landcress and rocket and simmer for a further 3 or 4 minutes.
  • Then remove the pan from the heat and when it’s cooled a little liquidise the soup with the stick blender and season to taste.
  • When ready to serve, swirl in three tablespoons of crème fraîche. Then pour in to bowls and garnish each one with a little extra crème fraîche and some snipped chives.

Notes: What is crème fraîche? What is the difference between landcress and watercress? What is bouillon?

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