Potatoes, garlic and carrots

  It sounds like a perfect dish! But no -  this is really a post about small beginnings.
I planted Jersey Benny potatoes for the first time this season. I also planted organic garlic - another first, the result was not exactly a massive harvest but you have to start somewhere I suppose. I also harvested carrots of a strange shape, not your usual carrot shape, more 'stumpy'. My hubby thought they looked like something from 'Hobbiton' but then nothing surprises him when it comes to my gardening! They were delicious, so sweet. I grew the Jersey Bennys in a big barrel (another first). They certainly took their time and while the quantities were not big they tasted wonderful. 
  Another success was my rhubarb. I was given a plant when I first moved to Welly but it hasn't really thrived. This season, after a lot of compost and the odd sheep pellet and lots of watering, I have a lovely crop. I made some into a yummy Chelsea Winter rhubarb crumble. So delicious. I secreted away a little plate of left overs but unfortunately my little grandson had spotted me and asked for it the next day. How could I say no?! Drizzled with cream, the plate was literally licked clean.  

potatoes, garlic and my stumpy carrots

   Looking over my photos recently I came across these of my first house. It was a truly humble little place but I was so proud of it. As you can see the back yard was pretty much vegetable garden, which supplemented my pathetic income at the time. In those early years I had a little more strength and energy, so it was well and truly laden with vegetables. I do remember spending hours digging and weeding, often in searing heat, and the early experience planted (excuse the pun!) the love of growing my own produce. I spent months and months redecorating the inside, landscaping the outside of the house and sorting a driveway and single garage. I sold it after about three years. It looked a picture on sale day and the first person (a woman) through the door bought it on the spot.

Me, proudly in front of my vege plot

A garden not that flash looking but good soil

The back yard on sale day - with new fancy paths and lawn

   While my daughter was visiting over the holidays we organised a 2013 book of my blog using Blurb. When I first started my blog I thought it would be a great way of recording and sharing my 'tried and true' recipes but it has become a little more than that. Now I also see it as a way of 'talking' to my friends and family, a bit of a journal really and making the book ensures these conversations are not lost. So now I have the 2012 and 2013 Capital Living editions and it is lovely to look back on them and use them as recipe books.
So from small beginnings - looks like I will continue gardening, creating and writing into 2015!

Vegetarian Risotto Sausages

May was a very busy month and it looks like June will be as well. There has been lots happening around here! We've also attended many gatherings with friends and family, both here in Welly and in Christchurch. All involving good times, sharing meals, the odd bottle of wine (or two) and catching up with the very special people in my life. I always feel very blessed when I am with them.
Over Queens birthday weekend, I attended an interesting session at Handmade called  "Planning an edible summer garden". Our group was small but big on ideas. And I picked up some great tips from Rachel (of The Kitchen Garden). In fact the very next day (with renewed enthusiasm) I dug out the remaining compost, put my vegetable garden to bed by laying down pea straw and ordered a stack of stuff from Kings Seeds. The winter months will give me plenty of time to really plan the summer garden. There are a number of things I won't be growing anymore, and a few I will give a bit of a go.
Last week we had a team of arborists on the property. Their work has made a huge difference to our garden (and our view), and all the trimming and lopping produced a huge pile of gorgeous mulch which (thanks to the hubby and a guest) is now spread over the other parts of our garden, quietly doing its magic over the winter months.
The same said guest gifted me a copy of  'Mackenzie Muster, "A century of favourites". Published in 1984, it's a great little recipe book, with some very weird and wacky recipes, not likely to be cooked here but interesting to read about them just the same. The recipe for Liver patties or Lamb in a Hollow Log springs to mind.... But I might try the Turkish Pilaf, it sounds a bit exotic for its time!
The book is interspersed with local prose and pen drawings and amazingly it was in the Eat my Books library. I'd love to know how many were printed. So thank you for your present Paula, I will treasure it.
On Sunday I found myself sorting out a cupboard and came across a folder of old Next magazine recipes. I spotted a recipe for Vegetarian Sausages. With not a bit of offal or meat in sight, they are really simple to make, very tasty and a total hit in our household! We not only liked the flavour, we also liked the chewy texture.
Please excuse my photo, my sausages look more like torpedos and they did not photo well in the early evening. I will take more care next time. We cooked a few for Monday's dinner and popped the remainder (uncooked ones) in the fridge for the following night. This worked really well, they held their shape.
The recipe could easily be adapted by using gluten free breadcrumbs.

My effort, a humble but tasty sausage

Vegetarian Risotto sausages (Next magazine) Serves 4 - but it served more like 8 large sausages

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp oil

25g butter

2 cups Arborio rice

4 cups vegetable stock
2-3 eggs beaten

6-8 halves sundried tomatoes – chopped

250g mozzarella, cut into 1 cm cubes

½ c freshly chopped basil

1 ½ c fresh white breadcrumbs (I will try Panko bread crumbs next time)

Clarified butter or oil to fry (I used canola)

In a large heavy-based saucepan, gently cook the onion in the oil and butter for 10 minutes

until soft but not brown.

Stir in the rice, and cook for a minute so the grains are glossy and white.

Add ½ cup stock, stirring constantly over a moderate heat until the rice is absorbed all the stock. Add the remaining stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring continuously. Allow to cool.

Combine the eggs, tomatoes, cheese and basil and fold into cooled rice.

Shape into sausages, roll in breadcrumbs and pan-fry in the butter or oil until crisp and hot.

Serve with salad greens.

From the magazine photo - what they should look like!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

I am known to be rather partial to eating and cooking vegetarian food, in fact I would list my favourite food as vegetables. With one exception.....
On a recent trip down south I opened the car window to get a bit of fresh air and a better look at the countryside (and the little lambs - is it me or are they arriving earlier every year?) and noted flocks of sheep eating turnips. Mmmmmmm.... The only vegetable I don't like is turnips.The smell from fields of turnips is not that pleasant and the experience reminded me why I don't like them, its not the taste but the smell of them cooking that quite puts me off eating them. Give me a roast parsnip any day!
Anyway back to the task at hand, my Shepherds Pie.....
This 'pie' is delicious, economical, nutritious and a nice change from using meat (and not a turnip in sight). It is a simple dish that can be prepared in advance and easily adjusted for Vegans, by converting the dairy products and soya sauce to your taste.  Children will love it, just tell them it is fancy baked beans with mashed potatoes!
To make the dish a bit different and special, you may like to make individual pies in ramekins, just adjust the time in the oven accordingly.

Ready for the oven

I have cooked it a couple of times now, it feeds two people for a week!! and a very hungry family of four (with plenty left over for lunch the next day).

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie – Alison and Simon Holst -Dominion Post July 2013

For 4-6 servings

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes

2 tbsp butter

1 cup grated cheese

¼- ½ cup of milk

2 tbsp canola or other cooking oil

2 large onions, diced

1 red or green pepper, diced

3 tbsp flour

1 tsp vegetable stock

1 tsp each of dried basil, oregano and paprika

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1½ cups water, beer, wine, bean liquid and/or the potato cooking liquid

2 tbsp tomato paste

400gram can of red kidney beans (or 2 x 300g cans for a larger dish), drained and rinsed

Method

Simmer thinly peeled, chopped potatoes in lightly salted water until tender, drain, saving the cooking liquid in case you want to use it later.

Mash the potatoes, stir in the butter, half the grated cheese and enough milk to make a fairly soft consistency.  After mashing, beat potatoes with a fork until light and fluffy.

Heat the oil in a large pot or fry-pan. Add the diced onions and cook until tender and well browned.

Add the chopped pepper and flour and stir until the flour is lightly browned too.

Add the remaining ingredients except the beans and bring to the boil, stirring constantly.

Then add the beans (if desired mash the beans first – I prefer not to do this step and just leave them whole).

Spread the bean mixture into a lightly sprayed baking pan (about 20x25cm) and cover with spoonfuls of the mashed potatoes, spreading so all the bean mixture is covered.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the surface. If not using immediately, refrigerate until needed.

Bake at 180° C for 20-30 minutes.

If you wish, this dish can be heated in the microwave until centre feels hot,  brown the top under the grill before serving.

Yum!

Middle Eastern Flavours Part 2

I made this to test it as a possible dish to take to a Family Celebration coming up soon. The dish needed to be something I could easily reheat as we have to travel for an hour to get there! It is really delicious and an inexpensive dish for a family dinner. We had it one night as a vegetarian dish and the next night I added some Middle Eastern flavoured minced lamb meatballs which also worked well. I put a dollop of Greek yogurt on top as a garnish but it was so nice we added more and mixed it into the dish. It seems a lot of white pepper but it was fine - not too hot. Use Agria potatoes - they are household favourites!

Instead of a casserole dish (make sure it is one you can use on a cook top). I used my large wide deep pot (fabulous for this sort of cooking) as I did not think it would all fit in my Tagine. I am also nervous about heating oil in my Tagine to fry anything as the blurb that came with it advised not to. (The Tagine was a gift from very dear friends and a precious item in my kitchen!).

Tagine of Spiced Root Vegetables – by Kate Fraser (as heard on Nine-to-Noon 22/6/2009

Spicy Base

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion – cut into large dice

2 tsp each of smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander

1 tsp each of chilli powder & ground white pepper

Vegetables

2 medium sized carrots

2 medium sized parsnips

1 medium kumara

6 medium sized waxy potatoes

About 700ml vegetable stock (or water with a little salt)

2 tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Garnish

Lemon zest

2 tbsp coriander leaves

Method

Heat oil in tagine base or casserole dish, add diced onions and all the spices, stir to combine

Reduce heat and cook gently until onions soften – about 6 minutes

Peel the vegetables and cut into roughly same sized chunks – about 4cm. Add to the spice mixture and stir to cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are coasted. Add stock or water and salt and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat, add lemon juice and simmer for about 40-50 minutes or until vegetables are tender. There should be enough thickened liquid to provide a sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. 

Serve with Garnish, and rice or a grain (Quinoa or Couscous) or with roast lamb or poached chicken breasts or what-ever suits. Serve if desired with a Syrah or Reisling wine.