handies for paula's bday

moroccan orange and fennel salad

a gorgeous, fragrant salad that is a great accompaniment to a spicy moroccan curry and couscous

slice each ingredient to your personal preference (thin or medium or chunky)

per person:

one generous handful each of:

fennel

orange 

2tbs each of lightly chopped:

mint

parsley

1tsp each of:

lemon juice

olive oil

finely chopped preserved lemons

pomegranate molasses

top with olives and serve as a side to curry or warm pitta bread.

lemon marmalade

my lemon trees are spoiling me with their bounty, and i'm trying to make the most of the season to try new recipes.

i used an old margaret fulton cumquat marmalade recipe as the basis of this recipe.

1.5kg lemons

2.2kg white sugar

3L water

wash and halve fruit, and place all seeds in a small bowl. with a vegetable peeler, peel off the yellow rind. cut off white pith and discard. 

finely slice the fruit and rind, place in large saucepan with 2.5L of water; cover the seeds with the remaining water, leave to stand overnight.

the next day, strain the seed water into the saucepan. boil all together until the liquid is reduced by half. add sugar and boil for about 1.5 hours or until marmalade sets (drop a teaspoonful of marmalade onto a cold plate- it should be gently firm, not runny or solid after 30 seconds).

while still hot, pour into hot, sterilised jars, seal and if possible, process in a water bath.

instant popularity caramel popcorn

due to popular demand, this recipe is going up early. 

too easy! make the popcorn, make the caramel, combine and feel the love. make plenty to feed the flocks of happy coworkers.

0.5c popping corn kernels

3tbs sunflower oil (if using stovetop method)

pop corn on stovetop in a large (8-10L) saucepan; or microwave, or use a popcornmaker- it's up to you. keep the popcorn in a large saucepan or bowl.

in a small saucepan, heat together:

150g nuttelex

1c sugar

3tbs maple or golden syrup

1tsp salt

mix gently and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat (for chewier caramel), or 5-6 minutes for a more brittle caramel.

carefully pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir quickly to coat all the corn. be super careful as the caramel is HOT!

you can also add in:

1c peanuts or other nuts

0.5c toasted coconut

0.5c sultanas

or anything else that takes your fancy.

half the garden risotto

it's a beautiful time of year in the garden, especially since lots of things are feeding us so plentifully!

this recipe works with anything you have at hand: silverbeet (chard), parsley, bay leaves and lemon were the main things available to me- i added a carrot for colour and texture.

1c arborio rice

3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

vegetables, cut into 1-2cm pieces

2tbs margarine

2tbs olive oil

1-1.5L stock, warmed

200ml white wine (preferably dry)

salt, pepper to taste

toasted almonds to serve (optional)

fry garlic in butter and oil on low for 2 minutes. add any hard vegetables (carrot, celery, leek) and cook for 3-5 minutes. stir in rice, coat well with oil.

add in stock about half a cup at a time; gently stir until liquid is mostly absorbed. add another half cup; stir until absorbed. 

gently stir in any vegetables that need cooking (ie not soft leaves)- mushrooms, green beans etc. 

after 3-4 measures of stock, add in half the wine, and stir until absorbed. continue doing this, tasting how cooked the rice periodically. if you have used all your liquid and the rice is not cooked to your liking, add a little water and keep stirring.

when the rice is almost done, gently fold in any soft vegetables (spinach, silverbeet leaves), fold in grated rind of one lemon, and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

feijoas!

so exiting to discover a feijoa tree in my front yard! delicious, packed with vitamin c (related to guava), and FREE!

killer baked beans

these are THE BEST beans in THE UNIVERSE. super delicious served with toast and a tangy green salad.

soak 2c navy beans in 1.5L water overnight.

the next day, drain, and refill with fresh water. boil for 10 minutes, then drain and place in slow cooker set to low.

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

5 spring onions or 1 brown onion

5 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

2tbs butter

2tbs olive oil

750ml tomato passata or tinned tomatoes

salt (smoked salish alder salt if you can- ps gewurzhaus is AMAZING)

natural smoke flavour if not using smoked salt

1tbs pepper

5tbs smoked paprika 

2tbs brown sugar

1tsp vinegar

chop celery, carrot and onion into small cubes. in a frying pan, gently fry the veg in butter and a little oil. after 3-5 minutes, add the garlic and fry for another 3 minutes. add to beans in slow cooker, stir to combine.

add the tomato and all seasonings (less rather than more, as you can always add some later), and half a cup of water. set to cook on high for 5 hours; don't let the beans dry out- gently stir in a little water if everything's getting sticky.

it's daal, darl

the lentil plant

i love lentils: yummy, cheap and fabulously flexible, i always have a few different types in the cupboard. this daal is quick and scrumptious, especially served with papaddums (microwaved for maximum convenience!). proportions can be changed, and ingredients omitted to taste and dietary requirements. this serves 4-6.

2tbs coconut (or other) oil

3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

3cm ginger, finely grated

3-4 tbs mild curry powder

1c red lentils, uncooked

1c coconut milk or cream

3c water or stock

1 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded

2 medium carrots, coarsely shredded

salt and pepper or chilli to taste

optional: coarsely chopped coriander, steamed basmati rice and papaddums to serve

heat the oil in a medium saucepan; fry the garlic, ginger and curry powder for a minute on medium heat. stir in the lentils. add the coconut milk/cream and stock, cook on low for 10 minutes stirring occasionally, adding a little more water if it gets too thick. 

stir in shredded zucchini and carrot, cook for a further 5-10 minutes.

lemon delicious

this makes me think of my friend viola :) it's been an amazing, completely forgiving recipe for over 10 years. great to throw together for impromptu dinner desserts; and so easy that kids can make it with minimal help :)


0.5 cup sugar
1 cup self-raising flour
1 egg replacer made to packet instructions
0.3 cup dessicated coconut
grated rind 2 lemons
0.5 cup soy/other milk
50g melted nuttelex/margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
0.5 cup frozen raspberries (optional)

0.5 cup sugar
juice of 2 lemons
hot water (to make total 1 and 1/2 cups liquid)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

preheat oven to 180C. 


in a 20cm, pudding bowl or deep baking dish, mix flour, sugar, "egg", coconut and lemon rind. add milk, margarine and vanilla, mix until smooth. if using, gently fold in raspberries.

put 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a measuring jug.  top with enough hot water to make the fluid up to 1 and a half cups (375mls). pour liquid gently over the pudding mixture in the pudding basin. bake for 35 minutes.

franken-skirt

two favourite skirts frankened together!


the grey skirt is a gorgeous linen blend with a Möbius strip of red at knee length; it didn't quite fit me until i unpicked a side seam and inserted a panel from a linen blend skirt in similar colours (that i've loved for well over 10 years!) and stitched the lot back together.