the first pea

A perfect little baby and all ours...maybe left a little too long on the stalk

A small but satisfying 'harvest'

Teeny weeny but packed with flavour

I was hoping by now to be showing off lots of home grown produce… but between that awesome amount of rain we had at the beginning of winter and 40kg dog who likes to sit in the patch (because it has a good view into the kitchen) our first real attempt at a garden is probably best rated as a failure! Although we have had a limited supply of chives, oregano and parsley throughout winter and some tiny little carrots that have been teased to the surface by impaitent fingers…

A few weeks ago I heard shrieks of delight from my avid 9 year old gardener as she discovered our first snow pea had grown despite the odds! No rain, dog or possum deterred this little wonder and by the end of the week we had a modest handful of perfect peas! This week we pulled up the carrots…

There was really no point cooking our tiny vegetables so we sat and enjoyed them raw – and they were unbelieveable! Sooo sweet and crisp and it was strangely satisfying not to wash them before we ate them, knowing they were completely spray free!

I had planned to cook this dish with my beans and peas – a dish that would really let them shine but alas, they wont be home grown this year. Maybe next….Wait for a lovely warm spring day and serve this recipe with your favourite Spring Lamb or fish dish.

Super Simple Warm Fresh Pea Salad with Goats Cheese and Lemon and Herbs.

• 3 cups of fresh peas, snow peas, sugar snaps [whatever is best and freshest]
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of one lemon
• handful of fresh herbs [basil, chive, mint, oregano - again whatever is best and freshest]
• 200g grams Meredith Chevre

Fill your largest pot with water and salt it generously. Bring to the boil. Fill another big bowl of cold water and set aside. In another bowl put the lemon zest, lemon juice and a generous glug of your best olive oil – enough to coat the quantity of beans. Set aside.

Plunge the beans/peas into the water and cook only for 3-4 minutes till they are a vibrant green colour. Plunge into the cold water to stop them cooking. Then tip them into the olive oil and lemon juice bowl. Toss to combine. Throw in the herbs, toss to combine and tip onto a platter. Crumble over the goats cheese and drizzle over any remaining lemon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

PS….I haven’t given upon growing my own vegetables and the summer garden will soon be planned and plotted with trip back out to Castle Hill Markets for the best seedlings I have seen. And with help of Lolo Houbein’s fabulous book “One Magic Square” hopefully we will have more success….read this interview with the inspiring Lolo here by Patrice at the Womans Nook.

It was a long day and this is a long post… it was a snappers delight and snap I did! At the bottom of this post I there is a link where you can find out all about the Farmgate Trail….We will be heading back in Spring for all the new produce and definitely in Summer for the fruit!

It was so good to eat such fresh vegatables and meat all week…

Crossing the Hawksbury River - Richmond Bridge

farm fresh flowers

I saw mushrooms I'd only ever read about...

along with old favourites

Freshly cooked Poffertjes for breakfast

the best selection of herbs and seedlings I've ever seen at a market... going back for my summer garden

This sign tells you that you are buying directly from the grower

Preserved lemons from The Farmers Wife

Fresh produce everywhere

Wouldn't be a market without a sausage sizzle!

Citrus a'plenty!

Doesn't get much fresher!

Took a bag of these carrots home - all weird and wonderful

lovely colours, flavours and shapes

more amazing citrus

Beautiful enough to be a wedding bouquet!

A mountain of dutch carrots

Miss 9 chose this enormous apple... it was the best i have ever eaten!

but there were plenty to choose from

and lots of cheeses

Then back on the road to follow the farm gate trail... odd sight seeing farms along side 'plastic' housing developments and highways

First stop... Wilberforce to see a classic butcher shop attached to their abattoir - M&A Butchery. Bought some great rib eyes, rather roughly butchered but great flavour and incredibly cheap!

then off to family run Hawkesbury Vegetable farm to pick vegetables

rows and rows and rows to choose from

The middle daughter (1 of 6 kids) on the Sultana family farm shows us around making pointing out the best produce and picking it for us

It was a bit early for the broad beans...

but we did find this perfect early bird

Ice berg lettuces hiding in the weeds... they leave the weeds over winter to keep the lettuces snug and safe from the harsh Hawkesbury frost ...but come summer they will all be stripped out

this was the best savoy cabbage I have ever tasted...and certainly the freshest. We shredded it for salads with parmesan and balsamic; we chopped and braised it with garlic... yum yummo

Beautiful leeks that were later baked under a roast lamb

... growing beneath big blue skies

this is as direct from the farmer as you can get!

Then its off to the shed so farmer Joseph Sultana can add up our purchases... $15 for an enormous box including leeks, celery, silver beet, savoy cabbage, iceberg lettuce...!

a farmer's hands

Joseph's younger daughter takes our vegetables to the car. All of the kids seem to have a job on the farm, clearly this was her role because she wasn't going to let us carry it oursleves!

now it was time to head off to the Sultana family's little cafe for lunch.

Here we found the youngest daughter peeling their potatoes and the oldest daughter slicing them up for real chips...

whilst making garden fresh salad rolls

but we couldnt resist the home made pies... vegetable of course!

and they were amazing...

as were the real chips...

With our bellies fully satisfied we headed off to pick some oranges...

the trees where loaded with citrus but the farm was closed... only for public to pick their own oranges every day except for Saturday! Very disappointed...oh well

I couldn't resist this old farm truck... i love them regardless of cliche!

and I love the old farm houses...

We passed a lovely orchard of blossoming nectarine trees... so so pretty and a lovely sign of things to come this summer... before having scones for afternoon tea

All the details about the Hawkesbury Farmgate Trail are here: www.hawkesburyharvest.com.au ….. Don’t forget to take a insulated cold bag and ice packs to get any special purchases home safe!

all in the pot!

Making your own stock at home is not only good for your cooking, it is good for your budget, good for the environment and good for the worm farm! Whenever cooking  throw your biggest pot on the stove and toss in all of your vegetable scraps – onion skins, celery tops/leaves, leek tops, carrot tops, garlic skins or roughly chopped older garlic, herbs etc along with whole peppercorns and fresh bay leaves [get a tree if you don't have one because they are pretty and practical]. Bring it to the boil  and then simmer for a few hours. I will also add fresh chicken bones if I have them or even left over roast chicken bones, lamb bones etc for a meatier stock. You will know it is ready when it tastes good! Freeze or leave in the fridge for no longer than a week – use it for the base of soups, braises, risottos, poaching, sauces etc. If you have a compost or worm farm the soft, quick to break down vegetables will be appreciated greatly. No waste. Very Satisfying indeed!

Basic ingredients...

Ginger

It was a busy night last night but my quiet morning offered a good chance to get dinner organised so everyone would get fed at some point – despite all the too-ing and fro-ing… At the beginning of winter I cannot eat enough rich heavy braises, but by late winter I really feel like eating foods with a little more vibrancy. This recipe is just right because the lovely ginger gives a delicious zing. Best of all, it covers everything needed for a great meal – one pot, simple, freezer and delicious… and it still warms you the way winter food should.

CHINESE STYLE GINGER BRAISED BEEF

Enough to feed  4-6 with left overs

• 1.5 kg chuck steak – buy it whole if you can, rather than diced
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 big piece of ginger, roughly the size of your palm, sliced as finely as possible
• 1 long red chilli (optional)
• 1/2 bunch shallots, finely sliced, reserving a handful for serving
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 star anise
• 1 tablespoon chinese five spice
• 1/4 cup dark soy (or whatever you have in the cupboard – I’m loving the heavy flavours of mushroom soy)
• 1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or sherry
• tablespoon of chinese black vinegar (optional)
• beef stock or water
• 2-3 tablespoons crumbled dark palm sugar
• 1 bunch coriander, leaves picked and roots cleaned (see previous post on coriander)

Cut the beef into ‘steaks’ around 1.5cm thick and set aside.

In a heavy oven proof braising dish, fry the ginger, shallots and chilli in a little peanut oil till they are soft. Remove from the pan and set aside. Brown the beef pieces on both sides until they have a lot colour but not cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside. Put the ginger mix back in the pan and add the chinese five spice – cook till fragrant. Add the beef back to the pan and wait for the temperature to get high again and add the chinese rice wine and vinegar. Cook for a a minute or so then add the rest of the ingredients and bake in a slow oven for 1.5 or 2 hours or until the meat is falling apart. Remember to remove the star anise and the coriander roots before serving on steamed rice with your favourite Asian greens. Freezes very well.

Dark Palm sugar

Star Anise.. though only crumbles left in the corner of the packet!

We don’t tend to eat pork at home very often other than at Christmas time. I’m not sure exactly sure why but this is a great mid-week dinner. Serve it with celeriac mash for something different. Celeriac for some odd reason can be very expensive – if this is an issue use half celeriac and half potato or otherwise your standard potato mash will still be delicious. Excuse the rushed photographs… it was a chilly night and dinner was going cold!

Pork Chops baked with Apple, Fennel, Garlic and Leek with Celeriac Mash

Feeds 4

• 4 best quality pork cutlets
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 1 fennel, finely sliced
• 4 green apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced finely
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup verjuice or white wine plus 1/3 cup extra for deglazing the pan
• salt, pepper

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees. Get all of the mash ingredients ready. Toss the apples and vegetables in the olive oil and tip into a baking dish. Pour over the white wine or verjuice and season with salt and pepper. Place into the oven so they can get a head start on the pork which will not need as long to cook. Meanwhile season both sides of the pork and sear in a hot fry pan until they are golden but not cooked through. Remove from the pan and while the pan is still hot pour in the verjuice/white wine. Using a wooden spoon scrap any meat off the bottom and reduce the liquid by 1/3. When the vegetables are 3/4′s cooked take out of the oven and sit the pork on top. Pour over the reduced pan liquids and cover with foil. Bake till the pork is cooked through but still pink – around 15-20mins depending on the thickness.

Celeriac Mash

I used a simple recipe from the Cook and The Chef:

• 2 Celeriac bulbs
• 100ml  Cream
• Handful parsley chopped
• 1/2teaspoon lemon zest
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil
• Squeeze lemon juice

Celeriac Mash
Peel celeriac & cut into golf ball size pieces, put into salted cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice & bring up to simmer until soft (approx. 20 mins)
Strain of liquid & dry celeriac out by cooking over low heat until evaporation is complete
Pass through mouli (or hand mash), add cream, season, add lemon zest & chopped parsley

We met lovely dairy farmer Michael at his huge farm on which 2000 cows are milked 3 times a day. The 3 generations (Grandparents, sons and daughters and their families) all live on the farm. I hope the fourth generation continues the great work! Here is a little photo essay of what we saw… plus a quick recipe for our favourite thing to do with winter milk at our house: Lindt hot chocolates! Find out more about the dairy on their website…you can even organise a tour….

Young cows have run of the paddocks for 2 years

Even young cows can do fancy tricks with their ears...

Dinner time..... hundreds and hundreds of mouths to feed

They were very happy to have their photos taken... not shy at all!

Here comes the milk!

The dairy at dusk

It's getting late, but this dairy works 24/7

Cows waiting for their early evening milking

I've always wanted a big red tractor... just like this one!

Decadent Lindt Hot Chocolates….

We serve these at the store in a lovely handmade porcelain Malcolm Greenwood bowl, but here’s how to make them at home…

• 1 cup of Lindt milk buttons (available at The Cooks Larder)
• 3 cups of milk
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla

Bring milk in a heavy saucepan on a medium heat almost to the boil. Drop in the vanilla and the  chocolate buttons. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Delicious served with crusty bread and butter….

One of the best things about owning the Cooks Larder (apart from access to amazing food everyday) is meeting lots of people. Last weekend by chance I met a very clever woman indeed… she and her brother carve beautiful crochet hooks from sticks… so simple, so lovely, I just had to ask to borrow them so I could photograph them. People who know me well know that when not cooking I love a bit of craft …. so I dug out my kitchen twine from the messy third draw (usually reserved for stringing up the Christmas turkey) and crocheted a classic granny square… very appealing even if totally useless!

The first week back at school is tough on everyone involved so it is definitely time to get back to to basics… and you can’t get more basic than this stew. This recipe doesn’t even call for the meat or vegetables to be browned beforehand, making it very fast to prepare. I really don’t like the word stew… in fact we can never use it on menus because it just doesn’t sound delicious! SO call it a braise, call it slow cooked beef – call it whatever you like. It is simple but tasty enough to hit the spot. You can add herbs to taste, more vegetables such as mushrooms, hot paprika, bacon, more or less garlic or red wine. Throw in leeks if you have them but don’t worry if not… it is always satisfying. Serve with mash, steamed greens and a big handful of parsley. I make a double (or triple batch now that I have invested in an extra big Le Creuset dish) because it freezes very well and makes for a fabulous pie mix!

Simple Beef Stew

• 1.5kg beef (chuck, blade or gravy) cut into 2-3cm chunks
• 1 can diced canned tomatoes
• 2 sticks of celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons plain flour heavily seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 cup red wine

Toss the beef chunks in the seasoned flour. Shake of any excess. Put all ingredients into a large oven proof pot and cook for 1.5-2hours. Check if meat is tender – cook for 20mins longer if not and check again. Yup. That’s it!! Plenty of time for slow baths, homework and lunches to be made AND maybe even an early night!

particularly delicious after rainy rugby training….

It’s school holidays and it’s a bit cold and bit rainy …looks like there are going to be lots of indoor days. This means endless rounds of Rummikub (if you don’t have this number game, get it soon – it’s great). Half way through our first round we definitely needed a mid morning sweet treat – fast. The cupboard was rather bare but we managed to pull together enough ingredients to bake these great little cookies using the very basic ingredients on hand.

You could follow this recipe of ours but I’d encourage you to use what ever is in your cupboard – just make sure you have, in addition to the flour, a total off 3 cups of dry ingredients. This should include some oats or muesli and then feel free to use sesame seeds, finely chopped nuts, coconut, cocoa, cereals like weet-bix or rice bubbles, choc chips. The handful of dried fruit could be anything you have in the cupboard – we used craisins. We didn’t have any honey so used maple syrup instead although golden syrup would also have been just fine.

This is a great recipe to just let the kids make whatever they want. Quick to make, quick to cook, quick to clean up and of course quick to eat!

Heading straight back to the game we ate them still warm but decided a yoghurt icing would be nice so up we whipped one up (just a spoon full of yoghurt mixed through icing sugar with zest of one lemon – if you have any – if not, plain old icing will just do…) You could even dip the bottoms in melted chocolate if you wanted to get fancy! We didn’t even wait for the biscuits to cool before icing… an important game was in progress!

Cupboard Cookies….

• 1  1/2 cups oats or other
• 1  1/2 cups muesli or other
• 1 tablespoon honey or other
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup self raising flour
• 1 small handful of dried fruit if you have any… (we used craisins)
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 cup self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon of spice (eg cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice etc)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a few trays with baking paper.

In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. Melt the butter with the honey and add to to the dry ingredients with the eggs. Stir until combined.

Make small balls of the mix and flatten on the tray (though if you prefer chewy cookies don’t flatten them). Cook for around 10-15 mins. Store in an airtight container – they seem to last well – perfect for the next rainy day!

back to rummikub!

Picked this morning

I was lucky enough to receive a big bunch of broccoli today – just cut from a home garden. I dream of having a garden that produces vegetables like this…. perhaps one day. When given a gift like this I feel an enormous responsibility to use it well with great respect and to use it as soon as possible so we can actually enjoy produce that is less than 24hours old! What a privilege! SO here is what we ate for dinner tonight: a simple dish showcasing this deliciously fresh broccoli…

Friends of broccoli: Chilli, garlic, lemon and parmesan

Broccoli with garlic, chilli, parmesan and lemon.

We ate the broccoli with chargrilled porterhouse steaks from Harry at Eagle Hawk Farm [keep an eye out for an interview with Harry coming very soon]. Even though broccoli is not a big favourite with my kids, they lapped it up! I’d actually made this for lunch as well except I tossed through some left over roasted chicken breast… very delicious! You could also serve this broccoli with pasta [like spaghettini, orechiette] or on its own with some roasted garlic bread crumbs. Try adding some crispy pancetta!

How to make it….

Put a big pot of salty water on to boil.

Meanwhile gently wash the broccoli and break into small florets. With broccoli this fresh I used every morsel – cutting the stems into 5mm slices because  they are so sweet and buttery.

Plunge the florets into the boiling water for a minute or so – just until it turns a vibrant green and quickly drain. it should still have plenty of crunch.

In a fry pan heat some olive oil over a medium heat. Add some sliced garlic and saute till soft. Then toss in the drained broccoli with a pinch of dried chilli and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Check for seasoning and serve immediately with a good grating of  parmesan – only reggiano will do for this special broccoli.

Better than a bunch of flowers!