fresh food articles & recipes
drowning in zucchinis?
It's a busy time of year picking beans, cucumbers and zucchinis. The trick is to pick them before they get too big - that's why I like yellow zucchinis as they're much easier to spot. These recipes will help out on the zucchini front. Zucchini fritters can be lunch-box fillers, pass-arounds or barbecue fare. Zucchini and corn self-crusting quiche can be made ahead of time and you can substitute all manner of vegetables. Zucchini lasagne or … [Read More...]
fresh food garden course and sowing seeds for winter
The next fresh food garden course will be on Saturday 18 February 2012. I'll happily send gift vouchers if you want to buy a place on one of the courses as a gift. There will be a seed sowing session for sowing winter crops on Wednesday 22 February 2012. FAQs about the fresh food garden course. … [Read More...]
lettuce gallery
Just over three weeks to Christmas so if you sow some lettuce seeds now you can keep them watered (either in pots or in the soil) so they'll be established enough to survive without watering if you go away. Or you'll have some lettuce to eat from your garden in the New Year. They grow quickly at this time of year and prefer some shade, particularly from the afternoon sun. I put four lettuce plants in a 30cm square and pick them a few leaves at a … [Read More...]
top tips for terrific tomatoes
My tomato plants are outside now, tucked into bottomless-pots to keep off the worst of the wind and to stop the birds scratching out the plants. I'll take the pots off when I put up strings to support them once the plants are established. I've put up bamboo canes onto which I'll tie the strings. Here are some more ideas on how to get the best from your tomatoes from my article in FishHead magazine. The Wellington SPCA has a new op shop at 243 … [Read More...]
perfect pastry
Pastry is a tasty, flexible and waterproof layer that can be formed into a multitude of shapes and sizes. You can substitute one type of pastry for another quite happily in many applications. Although making your own pastry takes a little longer than using ready-made, you control what ingredients it contains and you can make the right amount for the job at hand. I stick to making my own shortcrust, sweet and rough-puff pastries. Filo and puff … [Read More...]
traditional beef stew pasties
A slow-cooked stew can be even better in a pasty. It's easier to take to work for lunch in pasty form too. You could use ready-made puff pastry. I made some rough puff pastry. I made four pasties but they seemed a bit big for my taste and I think six or eight smaller ones would be better. 500g left over stew, chopped up small and with most of the juice removed. 300g high grade flour 150g butter, softened and cut into cubes 150 ml cold … [Read More...]
little lemon meringue pies
Having made lemon curd, I was looking for a way to use it in a dessert. Cafe Medici in Martinborough used to serve mini lemon curd tartlets that were worth the trip over the hill from Wellington in themselves. The addition of a meringue topping was satisfying because it increased their visual appeal, it used up the two orphaned egg whites from the pastry and it made them easier to transport by sealing in the curd. Makes 24 mini pies. 110g high … [Read More...]
lemon curd
In a household that has plenty of lemons and eggs, lemon curd is a wonderful condiment. Very yellow eggs also mean fantastically yellow curd. It's delicious spread on scones, pikelets or freshly made bread, used as a filling for mini tartlet cases or made into lemon ice-cream by rippling it through slightly softened boughten vanilla ice-cream. You can substitute lime juice for some or all or the lemon juice. Use a very fine grater and merely … [Read More...]
