Posts Tagged With: kids

Kitchen News 23rd February 2016

Posted on March 1, 2016 by melhm

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Mish is settling in to the garden and has already attracted quite a following of busy-bee students helping her out at recess and lunchtime. It’s like Central Station at rush-hour in there! Waterers and chook cleaners, tomato plant-pullers and weeders everywhere… She is picking up loads of seedlings this week and will be planting them asap in garden classes as we need crops quick smart!

The garden beds are giving up the last of their summer veggies: juicy cherry tomatoes, some tiny and yellow, others red with little wormy holes but no wormies. The children have been making our version of the famous Insalata caprese, with the baby tomatoes, torn bocconcini, fragrant basil leaves and a simple but delicious dressing of olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.

We’re plucking the last of the eggplants from their vines to reduce them in tomato, onion and oregano and then toss with hot pasta and fresh pecorino for Penne alla Norma, a classic sauce invented in Sicily and named in honour of Bellini’s famous opera.

And we’ve been sautéing the zucchini with garlic and blending them up into a zingy dip with Greek yoghurt, lemon zest and mint for Koosa ma laban, serving it with the most dripplingly-delicious Garlicky rosemary flatbreads.

And those huge rocket leaves? Too spicy for a salad so we’ve cooked them up into Rocket soup with potato, ginger, cumin and turmeric – too hot for soup? Never! Bread and dripping next week…

Thanks to all who have booked into my ‘Secret World of Wine Tasting’ Fundraiser on Saturday 5th March – it’s all booked out! Hosted by yours truly, it’s a sit-down, relaxed look at the most popular varieties, what they are, where they come from, why you like some more than others – and nibbles. Sponsored by Joanna from Tyrrell’s Wines, nibbles from Jodie at Foodies, Bread from Michael at Brasserie Bread and Riedel glasses borrowed from Nicole Leighton! See you on Saturday!

Thanks! Melissa x

 

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Garlicky rosemary flatbreads

Posted on March 1, 2016 by melhm

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The dough needs to prove for at least an hour, so at Bondi, the previous class makes the dough for the current class, and the current class makes the dough for the next class. Simple!

Fresh from the garden: garlic, rosemary
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in Veg Every Day
Serves: 8 or 28 tastes

Equipment:

  • Measures – jug,tablespoon, teaspoon, ½ teaspoon
  • Stand mixer
  • Scales
  • Bowls – large, medium
  • 2 non-stick frying pans
  • Rolling pins
  • Tongs & pastry brush
  • Plate & paper towel
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

For the magic dough:

·       250g plain white flour
·       250g strong white flour
·       1½ level teaspoons fine sea salt
·       1 teaspoon instant dried yeast
·       1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little extra for oiling

For the garlic oil:

  • About 120ml olive oil
  • 1 fat garlic clove
  • 1 long branch of rosemary 

What to do:

For the garlic oil:

  1. Wash the rosemary stalk, wipe dry with paper towel and strip the leaves from the stalk. Peel the garlic clove and very finely chop it. Combine the olive oil, rosemary and garlic in a frying pan and place over a medium heat. You’re not going to fry it, just warm it through to take the edge off the garlic. So as soon as you see the first signs of a sizzle, pour the oil and garlic out of the pan into a small bowl to infuse. Wipe the frying pan clean.

For the flatbreads:

  1. Knock back the risen dough, divide it int0 golf-ball sized balls and roll them into flat circles, as thin and round as you can.
  2. Meanwhile heat your non-stick frying pans over high heat until smoking hot.
  3. Carefully lay one flatbread in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbly on top and patched with brown spots on the base. Flip over and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Remove immediately to a plate and paint with some of the garlicky rosemary oil. Scatter with a little flaked salt too. Repeat with all the dough. Cut the oiled flatbreads into wedges to serve.

Now make the magic dough for the next class:

  1. Put the two flours into the bowl of the stand mixer with the salt and yeast. Mix well using the dough hook. Add the oil and 325ml warm water and mix to a rough dough. Knead for 5–10 minutes, until smooth. This is quite a loose and sticky dough, which is just as it should be – you get better-textured bread this way – so try not to add too much flour if you can help it, it will become less sticky as you knead.
  2. Trickle a little oil into a clean bowl, add the kneaded dough and turn it in the oil so that the bottom is covered with a light film. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size – at least an hour, probably closer to two.

Notes: What other recipes can we use the Magic Dough in? What is strong flour?

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Rocket soup with curry spices and coriander

Posted on March 1, 2016 by melhm

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This soup is a great way to use up all the huge rocket leaves left over from the summer break that are too spicy to use in a salad.

Fresh from the garden: rocket, leek, potatoes, onion, garlic, coriander
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 6 or 24 tastes

 

Equipment:

  • Measures: tablespoons, teaspoons, ¼ teaspoon
  • Mortar and pestle
  • Peeler
  • Kettle
  • Mixing bowls: large, med, small
  • Chopping boards and knives
  • Large stockpot
  • Wooden spoon
  • Stick blender
  • Ladle
  • Paper towel
  • Scissors
  • Serving bowls

 

 

 

What to do:

 Ingredients:

  • 1 onion
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 leek
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 3 potatoes
  • 1.5 litres boiling water
  • 2 tablespoons bouillon
  • A large handful rocket leaves
  • A small handful coriander

Curry paste:

  • A small knob of ginger
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • A pinch of flaked salt
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
  1. To make the curry paste: Peel the ginger and finely chop. Measure the rest of the spices into the bowl of the mortar, add the ginger & gently pound to a mash with the pestle.
  2. To make the soup: Fill the kettle to the 1.5 litre mark and set it to boil.
  3. Peel and finely chop the onions. Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Wash the leek under running water, peeling off the ugly layers, and checking underneath and trimming roots.
  4. Wash the rocket in several large bowls of cold water and shake dry over the sink. Finely chop the stalks and the leaves and reserve in a large bowl. Wash the potatoes but do not peel them and chop into 2cm dice.
  5. Heat the oil in the large stockpot over gentle heat. Add the curry blend and a grind of pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and leek and cook until soft for about 5 minutes. Add in the chopped rocket, potatoes and garlic, stir in and then sweat for a few minutes with the lid on and the heat low.
  6. Carefully add the boiling water and the bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile wash the coriander and pat dry, then add into the soup just before blending.
  8. Puree the soup using the stick blender until super smooth and then check if you need to add any more salt. You probably will!
  9. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.
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Penne alla Norma

Posted on March 1, 2016 by melhm

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Tradition has it that this dish was invented in Sicily and was named in honour of Bellini’s famous opera, Norma. You can use any sort of pasta but the best is a chunky, liquid-catching shape like penne to match the sauce.

Fresh from the garden: eggplant, basil, oregano, onion, garlic
Recipe source: from the classics!

Equipment:

·       Large stockpot with lid, saucepan and large frying pan

·       Measures: cup, ½ cup, tablespoon, ¼ teaspoon

·       Chopping boards and knives

·       A selection of mixing bowls

·       Salad spinner

·       Scales

·       Cheese grater

·       Spatula

·       Serving bowls

 Ingredients:

·       3/4 cup olive oil & more to drizzle

·       1 onion

·       2 garlic cloves

·       Small handful oregano

·       Cooking & flaked salt & black pepper

·       2 tins of chopped tomatoes

·       ¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

·       500g rigatoni or penne

·       500g eggplant – 1 large or several small

·       1/2 cup basil leaves plus a few extra to garnish

·       60g ricotta salata or fresh pecorino

·       45g parmesan or grana padano

What to do:

  1. Fill the stockpot with water and set it to boil with the lid on. When boiling, add in a tablespoon of cooking salt and the pasta, and boil the pasta for 12 minutes until al dente.
  2. Peel and finely chop the onion. Crush the garlic cloves, peel them and finely chop. Wash and spin-dry the oregano, and then strip the leaves off the stalks.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion and a few pinches of flaked salt and grind of pepper over gentle heat for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato and chilli flakes. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
  4. Meanwhile, wash the eggplants, wipe them dry and cut lengthways into 1cm thick slices, then 1cm strips, and then 1cm cubes.
  5. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the eggplant cubes a few at a time and cook for about 3 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the pan with the slotted spoon and add the cubes to the tomato sauce, stirring over very low heat for 5 minutes.
  6. Wash the basil, and strip off the leaves. Spin them dry, then tear them into small pieces and add to the eggplant sauce, reserving a few leaves for garnish.
  7. Measure the ricotta salata or pecorino and crumble it into a small bowl. Measure the parmesan cheese then grate it.
  8. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water, then add all to the sauce with half each of the ricotta and pecorino and toss together well.
  9. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining cheeses and extra basil and a little drizzle of oil.
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Koosa Ma Laban

Posted on March 1, 2016 by melhm

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Taking inspiration from the Middle East, this is a dish called Koosa ma Laban and is a delicious zucchini dip for crunchy veggies or garlicky flatbreads.

Fresh from the garden: cucumber, garlic, ginger
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe on thekitchn.com
Serves: 8 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Chopping boards and knives
  • Measures: cup, tablespoon
  • Frying pan
  • Tongs
  • Salad spinner
  • Microplane zester
  • Olive pitter
  • Food processor
  • Flat bowls to serve

 

 Ingredients:

·       2 large zucchini

·       2 cloves of garlic

·       3 tablespoons olive oil

·       1 cup Greek yogurt or labneh

·       A handful of mint

·       A lemon

·       Flaked salt and pepper

·       4 green olives

What to do:

  • Wash the zucchini, then slice lengthwise and cut into 1cm half-moons. Smash the garlic cloves, peel the skin off and finely chop.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle zucchini slices with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning once, until both sides are nicely browned. Add the garlic in the last minute, then remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.
  • Wash the mint, spin dry, pick off the leaves and chop finely to yield about 2 tablespoons worth. Wash the lemon, dry it and zest the yellow part of the skin only. Pit the olives (use the pitter or you can squash them on a chopping board) and cut in half.
  • Once zucchini have cooled, place in a food processor. Add the mint and lemon zest (reserving a bit of both for garnish), a pinch of salt, pepper and yogurt. Pulse until pureed.
  • Spread dip onto a serving plate, dot on the olive halves, drizzle with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with reserved mint and lemon zest.
  • Serve with flat breads or sliced carrot, cucumber or radish.

 Notes: What is labneh? How does an olive pitter work? What other Middle Eastern dishes do you know?

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Insalata Caprese

Posted on March 1, 2016 by melhm

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This famous salad from Italy is beautiful in its simplicity, using up all the last of the lovely summer tomatoes and juicy basil and nasturtium leaves.

Fresh from the garden: rocket, baby spinach, young nasturtium leaves, tomatoes, basil
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 4 or 28 tastes

Equipment:

  • Mixing bowls – large, med, small
  • Salad spinner
  • Chopping board & knives
  • Paper towel
  • Tea towel
  • Fork or whisk
  • Tongs
  • Serving bowls

 

 Ingredients:

  • A large handful small rocket leaves
  • Some young nasturtium leaves
  • A handful of basil leaves
  • A few handfuls little tomatoes
  • 1 tub bocconcini
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Aged balsamic vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Flaked salt and pepper

What to do:

  1. Wash the leaves very well in a large bowl and several changes of cold water. Dry the leaves very gently in the salad spinner. Repeat this process, working in small batches, until all the leaves and basil (kept separate) have been dried.
  2. Lay out a tea towel and line it with paper towel. Spread the dried leaves over the paper and roll the whole lot up like a log. Keep the rolled parcel of leaves in the refrigerator until needed. Rinse and dry the bowl well.
  3. Peel the garlic and slice in two squashing one half slightly. Into one bowl put this half, tear the basil and drop in, pour in a glug of olive oil and sprinkle some salt. Tear each bocconcini into two and add, then chop each tomato into two – or chunks if larger – and also place these in, turning a few times.
  4. To make the dressing, rub the other garlic half over the inside of the bowl and drizzle ½ cup olive oil and a little stream of balsamic vinegar over. Lightly whisk dressing.
  5. Unwrap the parcel of salad leaves & tip them into the bowl. Gently turn the leaves in the dressing using your hands or tongs
  6. Use the salad servers to transfer the dressed leaves to the serving bowls, then scoop up tomato/ basil/ bocconcini mixture (discarding garlic half) and pop on top of each, making sure to toss well before serving immediately. 

Notes: What is bocconcini and what does it mean?

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Kitchen news 9th Feb 2016

Posted on February 15, 2016 by melhm

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新年快乐

With a bumper twelve classes a week in the Kitchen Garden Program we’re jumping into 2016 Year of the (Cheeky) Monkey! And celebrating in true style with our famous Chinese Banquet Menu. I can quote Mr White saying today he think it’s his favourite menu so far… And judging by the empty plates I think the children thought so too. They even ate all the stinkingly-hot chillies they so carefully prepared, with only one or two capsaicin-casualties! And helping us harvest it all – and even starting lessons this week, and getting used to all the little helpers every lunch-time – was our new gardener, Mish. Mish comes highly recommended through Byron and has a wealth of green-fingered experience. Come and say hello to her!

In the Cottage we practised our wok technique with Asian greens and our chooks’ summer eggs, with a hundred little bush tomatoes and lovingly sorted coriander in Stir-fried eggs with tatsoi, tomatoes and chilli soy. We loved the crazy flavour combo of chocolatey, vegemitey Shanghai-style eggplant, braised until black and almost gooey, served with a restaurant-quality mound of Perfect steamed rice to mop up the sticky sauce. The children perfected the art of the wonton-squeeze, with the translucent Chicken and shiitake dumplings with chilli and black vinegar sauce – delicious and so easy to make at home too!

The simplicity of KK’s Chilled cucumber salad, dressed with ginger, garlic, sesame and soy is child’s play, but the savoury elements come together as adult flavours: a really grown-up dish. We wok-fried green beans, carrots, bean sprouts, some thin rice noodles and more lovely coriander and then rolled it all up into beautiful Vegetable spring rolls, making our own Sweet chilli sauce to dip them in. And to complete the banquet, some lovely Jasmine tea to refresh the palate.

And talking of palates – one last thing! ‘The Secret World of Wine Tasting’ is the inaugural Kitchen Garden Wine Tasting Fundraiser, coming up on Saturday 5th March at 7pm in the Cottage. Hosted by yours truly and $30 a head. Includes the actual tasting – a relaxed look at the most popular varieties, what they are, where they come from, why you like some more than others – and nibbles! Sponsored by Tyrrell’s Wines thanks to Joanna Robinson (mum to Summer and Chase). Bookings limited! Let me know if you’re interested!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Melissa

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Spiced grains, almonds, labne and currants

Posted on January 3, 2016 by melhm

Our friend Caroline had been to Drake Eatery in Bondi and said you MUST go there and have the grain and seed side dish. She said you probably wouldn’t order it if you didn’t know about it, so please order it and tell me what you think… So of course we did, and we loved it, and now order it every time we go there because it’s such a great place, and the salad is a total winner.

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So I’ve been wondering for ages how to replicate it.

We were invited to a friend’s birthday at his home two days ago on the 1st January (HB PH!) and I suggested I would bring a salad. What a perfect salad to bring, I thought, if I could find out what they put in it? So I consulted the oracle and found, several pages in, a salad recipe that sounded EXACTLY like the one I was looking for! So there it was, on the Food To Love website, brought to you by the Australian Women’s Weekly! So no disrespect to Drake, but I reckon this is where they got their idea…

Mediterranean Grain Salad aka Drake’s spiced grains, almonds, labne and currants

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup brown rice
  • 1/2 cup french-style small green lentils
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1 cup (250ml) water
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1/2 cup currants
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 cup coriander leaves
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (1 lemon)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 cup flaked almonds
  • 1 cup (280g) labne
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon honey

Steps

  1. Wash the rice and lentils, separately, drain and then cook in large saucepans of boiling salted water for 20 minutes or until tender, then drain and rinse well in cold water.
  2. Wash the quinoa and drain, and then tip in to a small saucepan with the cup of water and a sprinkle of salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cover for 10 minutes until tender. Drain.
  3. Roast pepitas, sunflower seeds and pinenuts together on an oven tray (keep the cumin seeds and flaked almonds all separate on separate pieces of foil), in a 180°C oven for 8 minutes, stirring half way through.
  4. Peel the onion and finely chop. Squeeze lemon juice. Wash the herbs, dry them and chop the leaves.
  5. Combine the cooked rice, lentils and quinoa in a large bowl. Add the chopped onion, pepitas, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, currants, herbs, juice and the olive oil and stir well.
  6. Stir the cumin seeds into labne in a small bowl.
  7. To serve, top salad with spoonfuls of labne, drizzle with honey and scatter with the flaked almonds. (At school we would omit the almonds).

Tips

Labne is drained yoghurt. You can make it at home, straining Greek yoghurt through cheesecloth in the fridge for 3 days, or you can buy it at Kemeny’s or Harris Farm like I do!

 

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Kitchen News 1st Dec 2015

Posted on January 3, 2016 by melhm

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So we’ve just finished a Super-Spring menu of the last of the globe artichokes with lemon, garlic and herbs and a really fabulous bruschetta with zucchini, feta and basil (yes zucchini! The kids loved it!). We rolled out reams of bright purple pasta for beetroot ravioli with goats cheese and mint and also finely sliced onions and leaves for the chunky kale and borlotti bean soup – great for those 42 degree days – and chopped, blended and blended (and blended) all the fennel tops, onion, garlic, celery, parsley and sundried tomatoes for the recipe of Cornersmith’s bouillon that we water-bath and keep for stock for next year.

And then finishing the year in fine fettle, with a festive menu of carrot and potato latkes with apple sauce and a brightly coloured broad bean, parmesan and pea mash scooped up with wedges of garlicky flatbreads. We’re harvesting all that we can to finish off the garden year, so plating up End-of-Year salad bursting with tomatoes, cucumbers, crispy kale and sautéed tatsoi with bunches of herbs and a tangy dressing. And then to finish: a repeat of last year’s delicious rosemary shortbread. Hallelujah!

Thank you to all you intrepid and generous volunteers that have given your precious time to us this year. As you know, we couldn’t do it without you and YOU are the reason the Kitchen Garden Program at Bondi is such a success. Not only in guiding and encouraging our eager students, but also in supporting our roles and your continued words of wisdom and inspiration. We hope you have a wonderful holiday and get to spend it doing stuff you really love!

See you all next year,

Melissa

PS We really do need lots of help over the holidays with the chickens – when Vacation Care is closed and on the weekends – so if you’re staying in Bondi we’d appreciate your assistance!

To Volunteer for Classes or Chickens: click on VolunteerSpot at http://vols.pt/8qCfEY

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Rosemary shortbread

Posted on January 3, 2016 by melhm

Allison was our gardener before Byron and she suggested this recipe to me. I was sceptical at first but lo! she brought some in that she had made and they were deeeeeelish! The rosemary bizarrely makes the biscuits taste of aromatic spices like cinnamon and ginger!

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Fresh from the garden: rosemary
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Yvette Van Boven in Home Made
Serves: 8 at home or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Paper towel
  • Baking paper
  • Measures: tablespoon
  • Scales
  • Medium baking tray
  • KitchenAid stand mixer with paddle attachment
  • Bowls – big, med, small
  • Butter knife and fork
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Cellophane bags and ribbon if needed
 Ingredients:

  • 150g butter at room temperature
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • A medium branch of rosemary with extra sprigs to garnish

What to do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 170C.
  2. Wash the rosemary and wipe dry. Strip the needles from the medium branch and finely chop. You will need about 2 tablespoons worth.
  3. Line the baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
  4. Beat the butter and the sugar and honey into a creamy mass. Stir in the flour, with the rosemary and salt. Do not beat too long, it just has to be well blended. Knead a few times on a countertop dusted with flour until it turns into a smooth dough ball.
  5. Press the dough into the baking tray and even out. Cut the raw slab into small equal fingers with the edge of the butter knife.
  6. Prick holes in the dough with a fork and garnish each wedge with a small sprig of rosemary.
  7. Bake the shortbread in the oven for 15-20 minutes until light brown. Leave to cool in the dish for 10 minutes and then carefully remove it. You can now break it along the scored lines and leave to cool further.
  8. And serve! Or if giving as presents, slip into cellophane bags when cold and tie with ribbon. 

Notes: What other dishes can you use rosemary in? Why should we not beat the ingredients for too long? What other flavourings could you use?

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