Posts Tagged With: parmesan

Mushroom and kale risotto

Posted on October 7, 2013 by melhm

This lovely risotto is textural and beautifully herby, and very easy once you get past all the stirring! Feel free to experiment with different types of mushies too. And if you have any left over then go crazy making arancini!

ourkitchengarden.net

Fresh from the garden: mushrooms, Tuscan kale (cavolo nero), marjoram, garlic, onion
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 8 at home or 24 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
  • Measures:scales, jug, cup, tablespoon
  • 4 bowls or soup plates to serve

 

 Ingredients:

  • 2 litres water with 2 tablespoons bouillon (or 2 litres stock)
  • A large handful of mushrooms
  • A small handful marjoram
  • 4 or 5 kale leaves
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 brown onion
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 20g butter
  • 400g Arborio rice
  • 1 lemon
  • 50g parmesan
  • Flaked salt & black pepper

What to do:

  • Measure the water into the saucepan, add the bouillon and bring it to a simmer on medium heat.
  • Meanwhile wipe the dirt from the mushrooms with a piece of paper towel, trim any ugly bits and then thinly slice the mushrooms.
  • Wash and spin dry the marjoram, strip and discard the stems. Wash the kale leaves, trim from the stalks and finely slice into ribbons.
  • Squeeze the garlic cloves through the press into a small bowl. Peel and finely chop the onion.
  • Heat half the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and butter over medium heat in the stockpot. Add half the chopped onion and cook gently until just tender, about three minutes. Do not brown. Add the mushrooms and garlic and a pinch of flaked salt and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes until the mushrooms are starting to colour. Remove from the pan and reserve in a medium bowl.
  • Heat the rest of the butter and another 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same pan & then add the rest of the onions. Cook until translucent & then stir in the rice until the grains begin to crackle.
  • Begin adding the simmering stock, a ladle at a time, and stir in until fully absorbed. The stock should just cover the rice and bubble. Add the kale, and stir every minute or so for about 15 minutes, making sure you get into all the corners of the pan with the wooden spoon.
  • Meanwhile, zest the lemon and grate the parmesan to yield about ½ cup.
  • After about 15 minutes, add the mushrooms backto 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.
  • When you are ready to serve, add in a last ladleful of stock. 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!

 

 

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Pizza with broccoli, garlic and anchovies

Posted on June 13, 2013 by melhm

We love kneading out any sort of dough but pizza is the best – you can take away any sort of bad mood or grumpiness in pounding out pizza dough! Fed up with homework? Whack! Not allowed to watch telly? Thump! Must tidy your room? Whump! (Insert gripe here:____________________________________)

PIzza broccoli, anchovy, garlic

Fresh from the garden: broccoli, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 8 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • 2 wooden chopping boards & knives
  • 2 frying pans
  • Bowls – large, med
  • Salad spinner
  • Small saucepan
  • Measures – ¼ cup, tablespoons, teaspoons
  • Colander, grater
  • Scales
  • Wooden spoon
  • Kitchen towel
  • 2 pizza trays
  • Metal tablespoons
  • Wide egg lifter
  • Pizza cutting wheels
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • 1 amount Hugh’s magic dough recipe

For the pizza topping:

  • 1 tub bocconcini
  • 1 head broccoli
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 anchovies
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 30g parmesan

Tomato sauce:

  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 sprigs each oregano & thyme
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tin diced tomatoes
  • Flaked salt and black pepper

What to do:

  • Preheat the oven to 220C.

For the tomato sauce:

  • Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, reserving half of the garlic for the broccoli.
  • Heat the olive oil in the frying pan & gently cook the onion and garlic until translucent but not brown.
  • Open the tin of tomato and add to the frying pan with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper.
  • Wash, dry and pick the herbs. Roughly chop then add to the tomatoes.
  • Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until quite reduced.

For the topping: 

  • Fill the saucepan with water and set to boil.
  • Wash the broccoli, and cut finely into 1cm slices, keeping the florets intact. Drop them into the boiling saucepan with a teaspoon of salt and cook for 2 minutes. Drain into the colander.
  • Gently set the 2nd frying pan to heat and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the reserved garlic and the anchovies. Simmer slowly until the anchovies have almost melted, and then add the broccoli and toss or stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning.
  • Open the tub of bocconcini and cut each ball into 3 or 4 slices.
  • Grate the parmesan.

Assembling the pizza:

  • Scatter some flour on the workbench, divide the dough in two and roll to form two thin shapes about 26 cm in diameter.
  • Assemble the pizzas directly onto the trays, flouring the trays first.
  • Using the metal spoon, swirl a couple of spoonfuls of tomato sauce onto the pizza bases, spreading so that they become totally covered with a clean border.
  • Layer the bocconcini on top, spoon on the garlicky broccoli with a drizzle of the oil, then slide the pizzas into the oven.
  • Wash and dry the wooden chopping boards and set them out ready.

Baking the pizza:

  • Bake the pizzas for 12 minutes or until the edges are very crusty and the cheese is bubbling.
  • Use this time to make the dough for the next class if needed.
  • You may want to slip the pizza off the tray onto the rack for the last few minutes, so that you get a really crusty base.
  • Once the pizzas are done, transfer them to the wooden boards using the wide egg lifter.
  • Cut the pizzas in half first, and then each half into squares for each plate. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan.
  • Lift onto serving plates and eat!

Notes: Where does pizza come from? What other sort of vegetables could you use in a pizza? What sort of other pizza could we make? What other cheeses could we use?

ourkitchengarden.net

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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!*

ourkitchengarden.net

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
ourkitchengarden.net

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:

ourkitchengarden.net

Gluten-free pumpkin gnocchi

Categories: Kitchen Garden, Recipe, School Holiday Program | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Handcut rocket pappardelle with lemon and olive oil

Posted on August 30, 2012 by melhm

Fresh from the garden: eggs, rocket, lemon

Recipe source: Pasta: Stephanie Alexander, Kitchen Garden Cooking with Kids. Dressing: Melissa

Our Kitchen Garden students love making pasta! This recipe includes the dough mixture as well as instructions on how to use a pasta machine. In the summer you could add chopped cherry tomatoes too, for their explosive bite…

Our Kitchen Garden

 

Equipment:

  • Salad spinner
  • Pasta machine
  • Scales, garlic press
  • Measures – teaspoon
  • Food processor
  • Plastic wrap
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Pastry brush, grater
  • Large stock pot
  • Tongs, large bowl
  • Serving bowls
 Ingredients:

  • 500g plain ‘00’ flour
  • 5 free-range eggs
  • Salt
  • 2 handfuls of rocket
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • A lemon
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • Flaked salt & black pepper
  • 50g parmesan

What to do:

To make the pasta:

  • Wash a handful of rocket thoroughly and spin dry. Discard any tough stalks and chop roughly.
  • Weigh the flour, then combine it with 1½ teaspoons of salt in the bowl of the food processor. With the motor running, add the eggs and the chopped rocket. 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 1 hour at room temperature.

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  • Fill the large stockpot with water and set to boil on high with the lid on.
  • Fix the pasta machine to a suitable bench or table – if the surface is not thick enough you may need to place a thick book under the machine. Screw the clamp very tightly.
  • Clear a large space on the workbench alongside the pasta machine. All surfaces must be clean and dry. Press or roll 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.
  • Lay the pasta strips on a lightly floured surface & dust with a little more flour. Fold up carefully 2 or 3 times and then using a knife or cutter, slice pasta into strips about 2cm wide.
  • Carefully unravel each strip as you go and hang to dry.
  • Clean the pasta machine by brushing it with a dry, wide pastry brush & putting back in its box. At this stage you can make the dough for the next lesson!

To finish the dish:

  • Check that the stockpot has been filled with water and is set on high to boil.
  • Wash the remaining handful of rocket and spin it dry. Discard any tough stalks and chop roughly and put into the large bowl.
  • Wash and dry the lemon and zest it into the rocket. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one half into the bowl.
  • Peel the garlic cloves and squeeze them into the bowl.
  • Measure the parmesan and grate what you need.
  • Measure 1/3 cup of olive oil into the bowl and sprinkle on a few pinches of flaked salt and a good grind of pepper and toss to incorporate.
  • When the stockpot has started a fast boil, gather your drying pasta on a large baking tray. Add  the pasta to the pot with a tablespoon of cooking salt, stir once and quickly put the lid back on.
  • As soon as the pot begins to boil again, take the lid off. The pasta should only take 2 minutes or so to cook from boiling. Taste to check – it’s important that the pasta remains al dente and is not overcooked!
  • Using tongs, carefully pull the pasta (and some of its cooking liquid) out and into the big lemony, rocket bowl and toss to thoroughly incorporate. The rocket should start to wilt.
  • Divide into serving bowls, sprinkle a little parmesan on and eat immediately!

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

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Soft parmesan polenta with poached eggs and sage

Posted on May 29, 2012 by melhm

From the garden: sweetcorn, eggs, sage

Recipe source: adapted from a recipe on the Wholefoods House website

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This is such a vibrant and comforting dish, with the frizzled sage leaves giving everything a crispy, colourful lift. Just be sure the eggs are very fresh!

Equipment:

  • Chopping board & small knife
  • Grater
  • Scales
  • 1 heavy-based saucepan & lid
  • Garlic press
  • Measuring jug
  • 1 small saucepan
  • Salad spinner
  • Paper towel
  • Wooden spoons
  • Bowls – 4 small
  • Medium frying pan
  • Serving bowls
 Ingredients:

  • 1 large corn cob
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 100g coarse polenta
  • 50g grana padano
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6 very fresh large eggs
  • 75g goats’ cheese (or other soft white cheese)
  • 30 sage leaves
  • Flaked salt and black pepper

What to do:

  • Remove jacket and silk from corn, and with a small sharp knife shear the kernels off. Add them to the heavy-based saucepan.
  • Peel and crush the garlic with the garlic press and add it to the corn with 500ml water and bring to the boil over a moderate flame.
  • Rain in the polenta, stirring. Cover & reduce to a mere simmer 15 mins, stirring every few minutes. Grate the parmesan.
  • When the polenta is ready, remove the lid, beat in the parmesan and season well.
  • Meanwhile, to poach eggs, fill the medium sized frying pan 5cm deep with water and bring to a simmer. Fill the large bowl with cold water. Carefully crack each egg into a small bowl without breaking it and then carefully slide into the water. Let the pan sit for 4 minutes before removing each egg into the bowl of cold water with a slotted spoon.
  • Wash the sage leaves and spin them dry. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage and cook, stirring, for about a minute or until they are dark green, crispy and fragrant.
  • To serve, divide polenta among serving bowls. Crumble goats’ cheese over then place an egg on top of each serving. Season generously and scatter with the frizzled sage leaves & scented olive oil.

Notes: What is polenta? What is cooking by ‘absorption’ method? Why shouldn’t we break the eggs when poaching them? What does ‘fragrant’ mean?

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