Posts Tagged With: vegetarian

Green soup!

Posted on May 20, 2013 by melhm

(Rocket, silverbeet and potato…)

These sunny-but-cool days & lengthening nights sing to me of soup, soup and more soup – and this is a great way to use up the bolting rocket!

ourkitchengarden.net

Green soup!

Fresh from the garden: rocket, silverbeet, potatoes, chives
Recipe source: Melissa
Serves: 8 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Kettle
  • Scales
  • Chopping boards & knives, scissors
  • Peelers, garlic press
  • Bowls – big
  • Salad spinner
  • Large stockpot
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measures – litre jug, tablespoon
  • Handheld mixer
  • Ladle
  • Serving bowls
 Ingredients:

  • 500g waxy potatoes
  • A small bunch of chives
  • 1 big bunch rocket
  • 2 or 3 silverbeet stems & leaves
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 1 litre water
  • 1 tablespoon bouillon
  • Black pepper

What to do:

  • Fill the kettle and, making sure you have dry hands, set it to boil.
  • Peel the potatoes under running cold water & cut into 2cm cubes.
  • Wash the chives, shake dry and slice into 1cm bits.
  • Peel the garlic cloves and squeeze them through the garlic press.
  • Melt butter in the large stockpot over medium heat and sauté the chives and garlic for a minute, and then add the potato cubes and turn so that the potato sweats in the butter.
  • Meanwhile wash the rocket in several changes of water and spin dry. Roll up and slice into thin ribbons.
  • Wash the silverbeet in several changes of water and shake dry. Slice or cut the leaves up the middle to remove the stems, then chop them into cm pieces. Roll up the leaves and finely slice them into ribbons.
  • Measure the bouillon & boiling water into a litre jug, stir and then pour it into the potatoes. Bring them to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, cover and cook gently over low heat for 10 minutes, then add the silverbeet stalks.
  • Cook for 2 minutes – check that the potato is tender, then stir in rocket and silverbeet leaves. Increase heat to medium and simmer for another 2 minutes. If it’s really thick you may want to add another cup of hot water.
  • With dry hands, plug in the handheld mixer and carefully whizz the soup until it is silky smooth.
  • Taste for correct seasoning (the bouillon is salty so you may not need any extra salt) and ladle into bowls to serve.

Notes: What other vegetables can be used for soup? How many different procedures are there in this recipe? Why do we want the potato to ‘sweat’?

ourkitchengarden.net

Thick green soup!

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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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Parmesan and dried rosemary biscuits

Posted on May 20, 2013 by melhm

When I worked at bel mondo a few years ago for the Manfredis we used to serve the parmesan biscuits with little bowls of marinated olives to guests as they sat down at the table – and tried not to eat them while we worked!

ourkitchengarden.net

Parmesan biscuits & olives, simply

Fresh from the garden: rosemary, egg
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Steve Manfredi 
Makes: about 30 biscuits

Equipment:

  • Grater
  • Bowls – small
  • Fork
  • Paper towel
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Food processor
  • Scales
  • Cling film & baking paper
  • Baking sheets
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • 80g parmesan
  • 1 egg
  • A few stalks of dried rosemary
  • 125g salted butter at room temperature
  • 250g plain flour
  • Cooking salt

 What to do:

  • Grate the parmesan. Crack the egg into the small bowl and lightly whisk with the fork.
  • Slide the rosemary leaves from the stalks and run them through the food processor. Then add in the salted butter, plain flour, grated parmesan, egg and a pinch of salt.
  • Pulse until they are well incorporated and the dough forms a ball. If the ingredients are too dry add a little water until the dough catches.
  • Remove from the processor, form the dough into a sausage about the diameter of a 50c piece, wrap in cling film and rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C and line the baking sheets with baking paper.
  • Cut the sausage into coins 3-4mm thick and place on the baking sheets.
  • Cook for 10-12 minutes until golden.

Notes: How is the dried rosemary different to the fresh? Why do we ‘rest’ the dough? What would you serve these biscuits with? What other herbs could you use?

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Our Bondi olives

Posted on May 20, 2013 by melhm

These olives were picked from our own trees here at Bondi at the end of February and beginning of March this year. They spent about 2 months brining, both black and green, separated by harvest date & slit on two sides – the first week with a daily change of 1/3 of a cup of salt to a litre of water & then a weekly change of the same… In 2013 we harvested about 4.5kg of black and green combined & they have been brining for 2 months. This recipe is for preserving some olives & eating the rest – the jars of olives are even better after a week & will last undisturbed in the cupboard for at least 12 months; once opened will last for about a month in the fridge.

ourkitchengarden.net

Our olives!

Fresh from the garden: olives, rosemary, thyme, sage
Recipe source: Melissa
Makes: 3 jars plus a bowl to eat!

Equipment:

  • Slotted spoon
  • Paper towel
  • 3 small jars with metal lids
  • Knife – small
  • Baking tray
  • Saucepan
  • Oven mitts
  • Small ladle
  • 4 little bowls to serve with separate bowls for pits
 Ingredients:

  • 500g black & green olives in brine
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 2 sprigs of sage
  • A small handful of thyme sprigs
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 orange
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 or 3 cups extra-virgin olive oil

What to do:

  • Preheat oven to 160°C.
  • Thoroughly wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse well and leave upside down to drain.
  • When the oven is ready, place jars right-side up on the baking tray and slip into the oven for 5-10 minutes until totally dry. Wipe the lids with paper towel to make sure perfectly dry.
  • Meanwhile scoop olives out of the tub and into the colander with the slotted spoon and rinse in cold water, checking each olive and discarding any that are mushy. Pat dry with paper towel.
  • Wash and thoroughly dry all the herbs and strip the leaves from their stalks.
  • Peel the garlic cloves and gently crush each clove with the back of a knife to break.
  • Carefully slice 1 cm-wide strips of zest from the orange, trying to take just the peel and none of the white pith.
  • Pour the olive oil into the saucepan and add the olives, herbs, chilli, bay leaves, fennel seeds, garlic and orange strips. Heat over medium-low heat until warm & smelling lovely.
  • Using oven mitts slide the tray of jars out of the oven. Using the ladle, carefully fill each jar with a good combination of olives, herbs, spices, orange peel, and garlic. Fill right to the top with olive oil and then seal each with its lid.
  • Spoon the remainder into the four little bowls and place each on a plate with a spare to catch the pits.

Notes: Why don’t we use the olives straight from the trees? Why are they green & black? What does ‘marinate’ mean? Why do we heat up the olive oil? What other ingredients could you use?

ourkitchengarden.net

Olives, jarred

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Melanzane alla Parmigiana

Posted on May 20, 2013 by melhm

Eggplant Parmigiana

The key here is to make sure the eggplant is well-cooked and therefore slippery and succulent… combined with melted cheese, tomato and basil, well – that’s a marriage made in heaven!

ourkitchengarden.net

Eggplant parmie!

Fresh from the garden: eggplant, basil, onion, garlic, thyme, carrot
Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Mario Batali in Molto Mario
Serves: 6 or 24 tastes

Equipment:

  • Pastry brush
  • Baking sheet
  • Paper towel
  • Chopping board & knife
  • Bowls – big, med, small
  • Scales
  • Grater
  • Peeler
  • Frying pan
  • Wooden spoon
  • Plate
  • Measures – cup, ¼ cup, tablespoon, teaspoon
  • Egg slice
  • 4 small baking dishes
  • Pot holders
  • Serving plates
 Ingredients:

  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large eggplant
  • Flaked salt and black pepper
  • 2 cups basic tomato sauce (recipe below)
  • 1 bunch fresh basil
  • A 200g pot of bocconcini
  • 50g Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Basic tomato sauce

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Spanish onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • A handful thyme sprigs
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes
  • Flaked salt

 

What to do:

  • Preheat the oven to 230C. Using a pastry brush, oil a baking sheet.
  • Wipe the eggplant and then carefully cut each into slices about ½ cm thick – you may need the mandoline for this, set to the thickest setting. Lightly season each disc with salt and pepper and place on the oiled sheet. Bake the eggplant for about 10 minutes until the slices begin turning deep brown on top.

Then make the tomato sauce:

  • Peel the onion and finely chop. Peel the garlic and finely slice. Wash and wipe the thyme dry, and then strip off the leaves to yield 3 tablespoons. Wash, peel and grate the carrot.
  • Then: Heat the olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer until thick. Season with salt to taste.

Continued…

  • While the eggplant is baking and the sauce is simmering,  you can organise the rest of the dish: pick the basil leaves, wash them well and spin them totally dry. Rolling up a few leaves at a time into a roll, slice them into very fine ribbons (chiffonade).
  • Drain the bocconcini and carefully cut the balls into thin slices.
  • Measure the parmesan and grate it. Weigh the breadcrumbs and have ready.
ourkitchengarden.net

The stacking game

To complete the dish:

  • When the eggplant slices are done, slide them out of the oven and lower the oven temperature to 180C.
  • We are going to layer the different ingredients into each of the four small baking dishes – to start, sprinkle half a teaspoon or so of olive oil into each dish and then carefully place the largest eggplant slices on top of the oil.
  • Over each slice, spread a spoon or two of tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with a teaspoon of basil. Place one layer of mozzarella over each and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon grated parmesan. Place the smaller slices of eggplant over each of the discs and repeat with tomato sauce, basil, and the 2 cheeses. Repeat the layering again until all the ingredients are used.
  • Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the eggplant dish, and bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the tops turn light brown, about 15/20 minutes.
  • Using pot holders, carefully place on serving plates and serve immediately.

Notes: This dish’s original name is melanzane alla Parmigiana – what does it mean and which language is it from? What other foreign language dishes can you name?

ourkitchengarden.net

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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…

ourkitchengarden.net

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?

ourkitchengarden.net

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!*

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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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.

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  • 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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