organic vegetable gardening courses, growing tips and homegrown recipes.
Too many zucchinis? Put one in a cake. If the zucchini is small it works better, as it will be less watery. Unfortunately this is not usually the stage they're at when you've got too many of them. This cake used only one zucchini weighing 180g before I took off its top and tail. The cake turned out moist and crumbly with a delicious meringue-like … [Read more...]
When I first came to Wellington I had a job interview sitting outside Astoria cafe. I chose to eat a sliver of panforte, dusted with icing sugar, something I'd never tried before. It was a poor choice as I nearly choked by inhaling the sugar and the remainder of it was blown down the front of my dark suit. I clearly dealt with these challenges with … [Read more...]
An quick, easy and attactive alternative to savoury scones, these would make a good 'pass-around' and freeze well. You could use olives, sundried tomatoes, corn, capsicum or capers for a change of filling. Makes sixteen. One cup (150g) plain flour One teaspoon baking powder One teaspoon English mustard powder (or you could blend a teaspoon of … [Read more...]
I'm still refining my mince pie recipe since making slow-cooked Christmas mincemeat and favouring mini pies over large. Silicon bakeware takes the stress out of removing them from the tin, washes in the dishwasher and doesn't need greasing - hooray. I used made this sweet, short pastry for one batch and it worked well. I like the fact each pie has … [Read more...]
If you find some battered bargain bananas at the supermarket, you can always freeze them, without their skins on, until you're ready to make banana cake. They're often not as battered on the inside as they appear. I find a 23cm square silicone baking mould doesn't need greasing, cooks quickly and never sticks. You need to put it on a normal baking … [Read more...]
I've experimented making my own biscuits for cheese recently. You can make numerous biscuits cheaply and easily. They store well in an air-tight container or you can freeze them. Oats do deteriorate, so buy some fresh ones if you're not making porridge regularly. I favour Harraways' or Moore Wilson's wholegrain New Zealand rolled oats. These … [Read more...]
I used to detest the taste of cardamon - particularly when I crunched a whole one in a curry. Just as I've acquired the taste for coriander, cardamon has grown on me too. My friend from Baghdad adds the seeds from a couple of cardamon pods to a pot of tea which then release their beautiful aroma into the brew. It seemed to be the perfect Persian … [Read more...]
I relented with my third batch of Easter buns and added the traditional crosses piped in flour, sugar and water paste*. The final batch came out better than the first two and the crosses were an attractive feature. As with most activities, practice makes perfect. And of course I can never leave the recipe alone entirely. I tried a number of … [Read more...]
I think these would be just as good with rhubarb, instead of raspberries. I made them because I'd used plenty of egg yolks in my vanilla custard. I don't own a friand tin, but making them in paper cases in a muffin tin worked well. They've emerged intact from the freezer too. Makes twelve. 100g butter Half a cup self raising flour One cup … [Read more...]
I've just started to get a regular supply of some vibrant, yellow-yolked eggs from Rodriguez' five wives. Mabel lays slightly smaller eggs than her Rhode Island red counterparts. There are still lemons on my Meyer lemon tree. Time to make a batch of lemon delicious. Makes 16 slices or 30 mini-bites. It freezes well. I might repeat the lemon/egg … [Read more...]
