Posts Tagged With: sage

Creamy polenta with poached eggs and sage

Posted on June 13, 2013 by melhm

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 – and then there’s no need to add vinegar or do any of that silly swirling stuff!

ourkitchengarden.net

From the garden: eggs, sage, garlic
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 4 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

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

  • 250ml milk plus extra 100ml on standby
  • 250ml water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup fine polenta
  • 1/3 cup mascarpone
  • 50g pecorino
  • 25g butter
  • 4 very fresh large eggs
  • A branch of sage leaves
  • Flaked salt and black pepper

ourkitchengarden.net What to do:

  • Bring the milk, water and bay leaf to the boil in the larger saucepan then remove from heat and allow to infuse for 20 minutes. Strain and discard the bay leaf, bring to the boil again, pour in the polenta and stir continuously until it thickens, about 10-20 minutes, depending on the variety of polenta.
  • Meanwhile grate the pecorino and measure out the mascarpone.
  • When the polenta is cooked, add the mascarpone and grated pecorino and mix until well combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. The polenta should be soft and creamy and only just hold its shape. You may need to add a little extra of the standby milk to loosen up the polenta if it becomes too stiff – this will also depend on what brand of polenta you use. You want a sloppy, porridge type consistency.
  • About 5 mins before the polenta is ready, poach the eggs. Fill the deep-sided frying pan 5cm deep with water and bring to a simmer. Carefully crack each egg separately into a small bowl without breaking it and then carefully slide into the water until they’re all in. Let the pan sit on a simmer for 4 minutes.
  • Pick the sage leaves, then wash and spin them dry. Heat the butter in the small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook, stirring, until they are dark green, crispy and fragrant.
  • To serve, divide polenta among serving bowls. Lift the eggs out of the water, drain, and then place one on top of each bowl. Season generously and scatter with the frizzled sage leaves & browned butter.

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

ourkitchengarden.net

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Warm salad of chestnuts, apple & sage

Posted on May 20, 2013 by melhm

I love autumn and the change in vegetables and fruits, as well as the colder nights and return to heartier dishes. This is lovely as a first course, or as an accompaniment to roast pork or even a slab of sheep’s milk cheese…

ourkitchengarden.net

Warm salad of chestnuts, apple & sage

Fresh from the garden: chestnuts, apples, red onion, lettuces, sage
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 6 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Chopping board and knives
  • Baking tray
  • Bowls – big
  • Salad spinner
  • Paper towel & tea towel
  • Apple corer, mandoline
  • Measures – scales, tablespoon
  • Frying pan, slotted spoon
  • Wooden spoon, foil, plate
  • Serving bowls
 Ingredients:

  • 10 fresh chestnuts
  • 2 pink lady apples
  • 1 red onion
  • A head of lettuce
  • A handful of radishes
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 20 fresh sage leaves
  • 20g butter
  • Aged balsamic vinegar

What to do:

  • Preheat oven to 180C.
  • Carefully cut a small cross in the base of each chestnut. Place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until soft.
  • Meanwhile, separate out the lettuce leaves and wash thoroughly in several bowls of cold water. Spin-dry and then break or chop up the leaves into mouth-sized pieces. Wrap the leaves in a paper towel-lined tea towel and store in the fridge until you need them.
  • Wash and spin-dry the sage leaves. Wash the radishes & slice them with the mandoline.
  • Wash and wipe the apples dry, then using the corer, cut out the apple cores. Cut in half, then crossways into thin 5mm slices.
  • Peel the onion, cut it in half and then thinly slice it using the mandoline.
  • Heat the butter in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until crisp, stirring & then transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
  • Then add the apple slices to the frying pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until apples are golden and tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the apple slices to a plate.
  • Add the onion to the frying pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until soft.
  • Carefully slide the chestnuts out of the oven & leave to cool for 5 minutes until cool enough to handle. Peel away the shells and the light brown skin and break into pieces. Set aside.
  • Bring out the leaves from the fridge and drop into a large bowl. Drizzle with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, add a pinch of flaked salt and grind of pepper. Gently toss with your fingers, then add the radishes, apple slices & chestnut pieces and divide among serving bowls. Finish off by garnishing with the crispy sage leaves.
ourkitchengarden.net

Infernal chestnuts!

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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

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Beans and greens

Posted on August 30, 2012 by melhm

Soaking dried beans and then cooking them the next day is such a rewarding experience – and these simple accompaniments make the beans a lovely cool-night dish. Serve with crusty sourdough or even a little steamed rice for a lovely midweek meal…

Our Kitchen Garden

From the garden: sage, spinach, silverbeet, chard, beetroot leaves, mustard greens, kale

Recipe source: Melissa, kitchen specialist Bondi PS

Equipment:
  • Bowls – large, heatproof
  • Colander
  • Medium saucepan
  • Large frying pan & lid
  • Kitchen towel
  • Measures: cup, tablespoon
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Serving bowls

Ingredients:

  • 250g dried cannellini beans
  • 1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
  • A small branch of sage
  • Cooking salt, flaked salt & pepper
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
  • 1 large bunch of greens (such as spinach, silverbeet, mustard greens or kale)
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

What to do:

  • The night before, place your dried beans in the large bowl and fill the bowl with cold water well over the beans, add the bicarb and stir. They will need to soak for at least 12 hours.
  • At the start of your lesson, drain the beans into the colander and rinse them well, then put them into the medium saucepan with about 3cm cold water to cover.
  • Rinse the sage, keeping the branch whole, and shake dry. Peel the garlic cloves and add 3 of them, whole, to the saucepan. Also add the branch of sage, a teaspoon of cooking salt & grind of pepper. Set on a low heat with the lid on and simmer until beans are soft, probably about 2o minutes.
  • Thinly slice the remaining 3 cloves of garlic.
  • Wash the green leaves and shake dry. Remove any thick stems, and cut the leaves into 3cm ribbons. You can leave any baby spinach leaves whole.
  • Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in the large frying pan over medium heat.
  • Add the garlic and chilli flakes and stir until the garlic is pale gold, about 1 minute. Add the greens by large handfuls and stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more, tossing with the tongs to coat with oil.
  • Add the stock, cover with the lid, and simmer until the greens are just tender, adding a little cannellini bean cooking liquid in spoonfuls if dry.
  • When the beans are soft, turn off the heat and let them cool slightly in the water.
  • Set the colander over the clean heatproof bowl and carefully pour the beans and their liquid in to drain. Add the beans to the greens and then simmer uncovered until the liquid is almost absorbed for about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in 1 teaspoon vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, taste and add more vinegar if desired; drizzle with remaining tablespoon of oil and divide into serving bowls.
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Gnocchi with burnt butter and sage

Posted on June 4, 2012 by melhm

Passing potatoes through the mouli for gnocchi

The volunteers occasionally freak out when I tell them they’re making gnocchi. But I say, have no fear! It’s child’s play… as long as the spuds cool down enough once they’re out of the oven & you help a bit with getting the gnocchi out of the pot, it’s a great dish to do with children as there’s a few different procedures & fun (and teamwork required) playing with the mouli to get the potatoes mashed… and who doesn’t love a bit of playdoh-style rolling out with the dough? I do anyway…

Gnocchi with burnt butter and sage

Fresh from the garden: potatoes, sage, eggs

Recipe source: Melissa, kitchen specialist at Bondi PS

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Floury potatoes work best here: nicola, desiree, pink eye, russet Burbank Idaho and toolangi delight are all great varieties. The trick is to keep your work light – do not overwork the dough – and your gnocchi will be light too.

Equipment:

  • Baking tray
  • Paper towel
  • Large saucepan with lid
  • Small saucepan
  • Large knife, spoon
  • Oven glove or tea towel
  • Ricer, mouli or sieve
  • Bowls – 1 large, 4 small bowls
  • Scales, grater
  • Baking sheet
  • Slotted spoon
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • 1.5kg floury potatoes
  • 150g plain flour plus extra
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 nutmeg
  • 150g parmesan
  • 125g salted butter
  • Small branch of sage

 

What to do:

For the gnocchi:

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  • Scrub potatoes well & wipe dry with paper towel. Prick all over with a fork and bake in their jackets in the oven for an hour until tender to squeeze.
  • Put the large pot of water on high heat to boil.
  • Cut potatoes in half. Hold half in an oven glove or folded tea towel & scoop out the flesh into a large bowl then press into the ricer, mouli or sieve to cool.
  • Grate parmesan into a small bowl. Grate nutmeg into a small bowl to make about ¼ teaspoon and wash and carefully dry the sage, picking off the leaves.
  • Make a well in the centre of potato mound and add a handful of flour, the yolks, salt, nutmeg and 50g of the parmesan.
  • Fold continuously toward centre, gradually adding more flour until it comes together without being sticky. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
  • Roll some mixture into a sausage shape about 3cm in diameter and cut off 3cm pieces.
  • Lightly flour the baking sheet. Roll each piece on the back of a fork using thumb and forefinger & place gnocchi there until ready to use
  • Poach gnocchi in a large pot of salted boiling water until they rise to the surface, then scoop onto your serving plates.

For the burnt butter:

  • Chop the butter into small pieces and then in the small saucepan heat the butter on medium until it develops a nut-brown colour.
  • Add sage and continue cooking for 30 seconds until the leaves are crisp.
  • Sprinkle remaining parmesan onto the gnocchi and then drizzle on the sizzling crispy sage & butter.


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Cannellini beans with sage, garlic and rocket

Posted on June 4, 2012 by melhm

We’ve recently discovered the joys of cooking our own soaked beans – the only thing is to remember to start at least 12 hours before as the beans need that soaking time.  These accompaniments are very basic but so delicious & perfect for a one-bowl supper in front of Masterchef! You can also substitute borlotti beans for an earthier dish…

Cannellini beans with sage, garlic and rocket

From the garden: sage, parsley, rocket

Recipe source: Melissa, kitchen specialist Bondi PS

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Soaking dried beans and then cooking them the next day is such a rewarding experience – and these simple accompaniments make the beans a lovely autumn dish. Serve with crusty sourdough!

Equipment:

  • Bowls – large, heatproof
  • Colander
  • 2 saucepans – medium
  • Kitchen towel
  • Measures: tablespoon, jug
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Sieve
  • Microplane grater
  • Serving bowls

 

 Ingredients:

  • 250g dried cannellini beans
  • 1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
  • A small branch of sage
  • A small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
  • A handful of rocket
  • Cooking salt
  • Flaked salt & black pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • A splash of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 50g grana padano cheese

What to do:

  • The night before, place your dried beans in the large bowl and fill the bowl with cold water well over the beans, add the bicarb and stir. They will need to soak for at least 12 hours.
  • At the start of your lesson, drain the beans into the colander and rinse them well, then put them into the medium saucepan with about 3cm cold water to cover.
  • Rinse the sage, keeping the branch whole, and shake dry. Peel 3 of the garlic cloves and add them, whole, to the saucepan. Also add the branch of sage, a teaspoon of salt & grind of pepper. Set on a medium heat and simmer until beans are soft, probably about 2o minutes.
  • Meanwhile wash the parsley and spin dry. Discarding the stalks, finely chop the leaves.
  • Wash the rocket and spin that dry too. Chop the stalks in half or thirds depending on the size.
  • When the beans are soft, turn off the heat and let them cool slightly in the water for a minute or two.
  • Set the sieve over a heatproof bowl and carefully pour the beans and their liquid in to drain.
  • Scrape the beans into a large bowl and toss in the rocket to wilt. Add a cup of cooking liquid back in with a splash of olive oil and stir.
  • Check for seasoning, then sprinkle over the chopped parsley and divide among serving bowls. Grate over some parmesan cheese and serve.
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August 17th 2011

Posted on April 23, 2012 by melhm

Loads of beautiful veggies appeared in the last bout of sunshiney rain this last fortnight, so as promised so we’ve been broccoli-tastic in the kitchen… smashing up anchovies with garlic and sautéing with little broccoli florets and chunky stem bits, and simmering up a very well-received soup of broccoli, parsley and potato… and even better: mixing the two together! Also a great hit – thanks mainly to Steve, (Lily 3B)’s dad! – were the ricotta, marjoram and sage ravioli that we’ve been rolling, rolling, rolling through the pasta machines. Yum!

And we made use of some lovely blood oranges that we segmented and added to thinly sliced radishes with chives and balsamic dressing – colourful and super-seasonal!

And thanks to all our wonderful volunteers who give us their valuable time and infinite patience… you rock…  And love always to the beautiful children who cook with such joy, who clean up selflessly and then lavish praise on what they’ve just eaten. Bless your cotton socks, you know who you are!

The recipes will be up on the blog as soon as I send them to Emma – check out http://www.bondikitchengarden.com if you haven’t already – and please feel free to leave a comment there or request a recipe if I’ve forgotten to send it on.

Next week marks the return of the fortnightly Wednesday arvo market table with some juicy stuff for sale, so please come up and say hi and pick up your herbs for dinner or a wee pot-plant or whatever might find its way to the table…? We’ll be setting up in the main playground at pick-up time.

And as always the doors to the cottage and garden (or gates?) are open for a chat or offer of help (!) Tuesdays to Thursdays and we would love to get to know more of you. Also another thought: if you’re about to Freecycle/ hard rubbish throw-out/ ditch/ bequest anything kitchen-y (working equipment, utensils, plates, glasses, cutlery etc) or furniture-y (wooden chairs, sideboards, quirky objets etc) then please think of us first!

Cheers all, Melissa

 

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