broad bean and haloumi spring salad

It's been a while, I know. I wont bore you with the details ;)

We had about a million broad beans growing in our vegie patch.......ok, one million might be stretching it....but it was close!
What to make?, what to make? They can be a little fiddly the ol' broad bean but I think they are spectacular! Pod them the day before or whenever you have time. Boil them for about 5 minutes, cool slightly and then take the tough outer skins off. This part can be done a couple of hours before serving too - just keep them covered in the fridge.

ingregients

approx 1kg broad beans (once podded you will need about 300 - 350g)
180g haloumi
basil leaves
mint leaves (optional)
toasted pine nuts (optional)
olive oil
sea salt and freshly grinded black pepper

how to make your broad bean and haloumi salad

Put some oil in a frying pan and place over a mid to high heat. Cut your haloumi into your desired shape. When oil is ready place your haloumi and brown for a minute or so, turn over and brown the other side. Take off the heat and add the broad beans that have had the tough outer skins taken off. Warm through. Add a handfull of torn basil leaves and 1 or 2 mint leaves if you have them.Add a good dash of sea salt and freshly grinded black pepper. Toss gently. Once plated add a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some toasted pine nuts, if using.

enjoy!

maria xx

Double comfort, double happiness - Fetta Pasta

I am still tweaking that recipe that I keep rabbiting on about! It better be good, right? Gee, I hope so!

Anyway, for now this is a recipe that I grew up with. This was my ultimate fast food. Piping hot spiral pasta mixed with grated fetta cheese that had been left out at room temperature while the pasta was cooking. HEAVEN. Yep, That was it. These days I drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil over my bowl and add a dash of pepper - but the flavours remain the same.....see what you think.

ingredients

for 4 people

about 250g greek fetta

about 500g spiral pasta

extra virgin olive oil and pepper to serve, if preferred

How to make your Fetta Pasta

Pop large pot on to boil. When boiling add salt and pasta. Grate fetta cheese and set aside. When pasta is ready. Drain quickly, trying to retain heat and throw it back into the pot. Throw in the fetta cheese, reserving some. Mix through and pop into bowls. Drizzle with oil and pepper if using and top with reserved fetta cheese. Serve immediately.

If I can make this, so can you! - Apricot TarteTatin

At the moment I am flicking through magazines and cookbooks in search of the perfect dessert! It'll be our Christmas treat when we catch up next with Caroline and her family. So many yummy things! So little time!!
I realised I couldn't wait till then so here we are, on the eve of Summer, and I thought I would try my luck at creating a Tarte Tatin recipe. I've never made one before but as they say there is always a first time for everything.
I used my tart tin, you know with the 6 tart moulds built into it. I thought it would be cute to make individual ones. When I brought them out of the oven I wondered how in the hell I was going to get them out. So I layed out some greaseproof paper and quickly flipped over the tin. Out came 6 beautiful little tarte tatins. I cannot tell you how excited I was. I had facebook status updates running through my head and all sorts of things. They looked exquisite. They even tasted exquisite. Enough said. Make them! Make them NOW!



ingredients

170g brown sugar
100ml water
50g unsalted butter
apricots approx 1 per tarte tatin (or you could use any fruit you like. I originally thought Mango but had some lovely ripe apricots so used those instead)
2 sheets of butter puff pastry


how to make your Apricot Tarte Tatin

Take out your pastry to defrost. Pre-heat oven to 180C.Get out the tin you want to cook the tarte tatin's in. In a small saucepan add the brown sugar and water. Stirring, bring to a boil and then turn down to a low heat. Simmer gently for a few minutes until mix thickens a little. Take off the heat and add the butter, whisking it through. (There will be enough caramel to make approx 18, 9cm diameter tarte tatins)

Add some of the caramel to each base. Add the sliced apricot (or fruit of your choice) and top with the pastry, ensuring that you tuck all edges into the pan.
Pop in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Get a knife and go around each tarte tatin then over a piece of baking paper, flip it over. They should all come out perfectly and this should blow your mind!!!

Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream. enjoy!

high tea - part 3 - broad bean puree with herbed oil and toast

This recipe, along with the previous two, were all swimming around in my head while we were away on our break. I'd been reading an article about Stephanie Alexander who was talking about Broad beans and how she liked to have the first few of the season, fresh. She made them sound sooooo moreish. So, not knowing a lot about them, I thought I'd have a play around.....and I still am really!

On the day of the high tea, everyone said that they really liked the puree (unless they were all being very kind!) There was something about the flavour I wasn't too sure about (I'd also forgotten to take off the 2nd layer of the bean which made the puree a little grainy - as Caroline's husband said, "It's like pesto") So I've re-jigged the recipe a little. In the original I added parsley to the puree but don't think it was necessary and also added a little too much oil. Hold back on those two and the true flavour of the broad bean really shines through. See what you think....

ingredients

serves 4

500g broad beans (pod them the night before. You'll need about a cup)
1 tablespoon salted butter
salt and pepper
1-2 teaspoons fresh ricotta
extra virgin olive oil
1 thyme sprig per person plus 2 extra
bread of your choice to serve

how to make your broad bean puree with herbed oil and toast

Put 1/2 cup of the olive oil into a bowl and add the 2 extra thyme sprigs. set aside. Just before serving discard thyme sprigs.

Pop oven on to 200C. Grab your bread and cut into rough slices (or however you like) Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Pop in the oven for 10 -15 minutes, or until crisp.

Pop a saucepan of water on the stove. When boiling add the broad bean and boil for about 2 minutes. Drain. When you can touch them without burning yourself, take off the outer layer of each bean and discard. Now you are left with a soft and juicy green thing that looks like a large slightly morphed pea!
Pop them in your blender and add the butter and ricotta. Blend to a puree. Spoon into a bowl and add salt and pepper. Stir and check seasonings.
I thought these looked cute served individually but you can do one large dish, of course. Dollop puree into serving dish, drizzle with a little of the oil and then top with a sprig of thyme. Serve with the toast. Enjoy!

high tea - part 2 - spring pea morsels with dill and lemon creme fraiche

Whenever my Mother-in-law pops over for dinner I always do a roast of some description and she always brings along fresh peas.I don't know how that started but it's become a little tradition of ours. The roast and veggies go in the oven while we sit around, shell peas (and eat the occasional one too) and share stories.
The taste of fresh peas at the moment are out of this world!! It is Spring after all!.So that's really how this recipe came about. I wanted to use fresh peas and not too many other ingredients to make something yummy and simple. You don't have to serve them with the creme fraiche as it is a little expensive, I know. You could use sour cream if you prefer, or I've even popped these in pita bread with tomato sauce sauce for the kids and BBQ sauce for us - delish!!

ingredients

makes approx 15 - 20. Depending on how big or small you make them.

180g - 200g fresh peas, bit more than a cup of peas (you'll need approx 500g before podding)
1 large potato, cooked (Do this this the night before and keep it in the fridge until you're ready)
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
approx teaspoon of fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon of plain flour, plus a little extra flour for rolling morsels in
salt and pepper


about 125g creme fraiche (You could make double the amount of morsels and use the whole container of creme fraiche)
a few sprigs dill
about a teaspoon of lemon juice

Mix through the creme friache and the lemon juice and top with the dill sprigs. Make this just before serving. (I forgot to take a photo of the creme fraiche on the day so sorry you can't see the two together but it looks really pretty with the dill sprigs. Not to mention the lovely fragrance and the delicious taste!)


how to make your spring pea morsels

Shell the peas the night before so you won't have to worry about them on the day as it can be a little time consuming. (but sooooo worth it).Get the whole family involved!

On the day: Blanch the peas in boiling water for a minute or so. Drain and place in a blender (I use a stick blender which I LOVE!) add the garlic and give it a quick wizz. Now get out your potato and give it a good mash. Add the puree to it, along with the baking powder, flour and chives. Add salt and pepper to taste and give it a good mix.

Get out your fry pan pop in a good slosh of olive oil and set to a medium heat. Roll each morsel in flour lightly and set aside on a plate. When the oil has heated enough drop in the little morsels and fry. Try and pop them in all together so you'll have a similar cooking time for all of them. When lightly browned, flip over (Careful, it is a wet mixture and turn down to low so that they cook through but don't burn. Mine look just slightly overdone but they were still yummy!) When ready, drain on absorbent paper (if you like) and then pop on your serving platter with the dill and lemon creme fraiche on the side.

Don't forget the toothpicks so your guests can get at those morsels and woof them down! YUM-YUM.

high tea - part 1 - herbed mushroom and ricotta vol-au-vents

While we were away we spent a couple of nights in Kiama either side of our break to stay with family. We decided to eat at a restaurant that had been around since I was little and I hadn't been there in years. It was time to have a taste of "Chachi's".

Hubby ordered the pasta with chorizo and the kids got pizza and ice cream (a winning combination in our household)and I had the crostini. Which reminds me of another story...... Some of the girls in my mothers group branched out a few years ago and created a book club. A recent book was, "The Road Home" by Rose Tremain. The main character Lev works in a fancy restaurant in London where the head chef makes the staff his famous crostini each night before their big night ahead.......I really had to have that crostini.

It was perfect. Delicious crusty bread, slightly salty ricotta, mushrooms tossed with garlic and fresh, fresh rocket leaves. So simple and so delicious. Here's my version in a vol-au-vent!

ingredients

makes approx 12 medium sized vol-au-vents(I used Erica's kitchen brand which had 6 in a pack but you could always use smaller ones if you are feeding more people or use a different brand - buy the best you can afford)

2 tablespoons butter
approx 12 button mushrooms, sliced finely
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
small mix of finely chopped fresh parsley and Fresh thyme
salt and pepper

fresh ricotta from the deli, about 150g

rocket sprigs, 1 per vol-au-vent

how to make your herbed mushroom and ricotta vol-au-vents

If you have the time, warm the vol-au-vent cases very slightly in the oven.
Heat butter in a saucepan over a high heat. Quickly fry mushrooms with the garlic, herbs and a little salt and pepper. When cooked through, adjust seasoning if needed and set aside. Dollop ricotta into the base of each vol-au-vent case. Top with mushroom mix and then add a sprig of rocket.

Serve as part of a high tea, afternoon tea, brunch or even a lovely light dinner. enjoy!

Heaven on a piece of toast - Pink Lady Apple and Strawberry Jam

My good friend Caroline from Fox Drink Water popped over on the weekend with her family for a morning of jam making! I was attempting to show them my skills and in the process nearly burnt the goods! but all was not lost.... it was rescued just in the nick of time. One more second and it would have made very fancy worm fodder.....

Over the next couple of posts I'll be sharing a few of my recipes that I tried out on Caroline and the fam. Two I am still perfecting and one I am very pleased with. My idea was to have a High Tea without boring old sandwiches, meat or eggs. I wanted it to be relatively easy too as we were meant to be concentrating on the jam! Caroline brought her absolutely delicious pumpkin scones that went down a treat!!!

The combination of Pink Lady Apple and Strawberry was something Caroline wanted to try (I think it is heaven on a piece of toast) and really you could use any apple that was in season. You could also use raspberries in place of strawberries if you like. I hope you give it a go!

Oh, and the absolutely gorgeous Jam and Toast holder will be for sale in our Etsy shop some time in the future.....watch that space!

ingredients

3kg pink lady apples, Peeled,cored, quarted and sliced (You should have approx 1.8 to 2kg once they have been peeled and cored)
500g strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
just under 1/4 cup lemon juice
some lemon zest if you like ( I popped in about a teaspoon)
2 cups or so of water
800g white sugar

how to make your pink lady apple and strawberry jam

Grab a large pot with a lid and as you cut your apple slices, throw them in. Throw in the strawberries and add your lemon juice, zest if using and water. Pop the lid on and and place over a high heat. Once it's boiling, turn it down to a very gentle simmer, stir occasionally, pop the lid back on and let the fruit very slowly soften. When the fruit looks very, very soft (the apple pieces should mostly look like mush with some pieces kind of holding their shape)Keep the lid off, add the sugar and turn up the heat. It shouldn't be long now till your jam is ready. Pop a few saucers in the fridge and every now and then grab one out and pop a teaspoon of jam. It shouldn't weep and when tilted the jam should stay and not be too runny. You can also push your finger through it (be careful it will be hot) if it wrinkles it's ready! Careful not to burn your jam as it can turn on you. Turn the heat down a little if you're unsure.

The sterilisation process

Wash your jars and keep them in hot soapy water in the sink until ready to use then rinse in hot water (don't dry them) and then place in the microwave, one at a time, for 1 minute. Have the lids in a saucepan of water on the stove on a rolling boil.

When ready, ladle into your jars right up to the top, pop your lids on tightly and then you can do one of two things: You can place them into a saucepan of cold water, ensuring the jars are well covered then bring to the boil and boil for 20mins to create a vacuum. After 20 mins, turn off heat and allow to cool in the water. Check jars that a vacuum was created.
OR
Once you've filled the jars turn them upside down until they have completely cooled. The old women of Tuscany use this trick which does work really well too however if using this method I would keep the jam in the fridge once it had cooled down.

Keep boiled jars in a dark, cool cupboard. They should keep for up to 1 year.

Honey Roasted Pumpkin Salsa

We've just arrived back from 2 glorious weeks down the South Coast. It's been heaven eating out nearly every night or buying fresh fish from the markets and cooking it simply on the BBQ. Other than that I've hardly cooked at all (except for the previous blog post - but you can hardly call that cooking!). One of our favourite places to eat over the past couple of weeks has been a humble pie place called, Hayden's Pies. They have everything from: Masaman curry; Roast chicken and leek; Chunky steak with mashed potato; Atlantic salmon and king prawn, to name a few. One pie in particular caught my eye - Honey roasted pumpkin with spinach and feta. It's difficult to describe the taste but I simply couldn't get enough of them! I had to do something with this. I had to roast pumpkin in honey!........It's not a salsa as such, I know, but the coriander and the lime definitely take me there. Enjoy!

ingredients

piece of butternut pumpkin (enough to give you about 250g) peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
tablespoon of honey
100g sugar snap peas, topped and blanched
small handful of coriander leaves
a few sprigs parsley
small handful of beetroot leaves
1 lime

how to make your honey roasted pumpkin salsa

Pre-heat oven to 200C. Place bite size pumpkin pieces onto some baking paper on a tray, drizzle with the honey and bake for 40 mins. (You want the pieces to cook through but not char)

Just before the pumpkin is ready blanch the sugar snap peas and wash the leaves and the herbs. Drain well.

In a bowl toss everything together gently and season with salt and pepper and a good spritz of lime juice.

Serve with a wedge of lime. Serves 2 as a light lunch or serve with lamb cutlets or fish for a more substantial meal.

Treat please! - Halloween Rocky Road

With our new Etsy shop I'm getting really inspired by up and coming holidays and events. One of them being, of course, Halloween. Some of us celebrate it in Australia and some of us don't. I remember last year making up these cute little lolly bags for little trick or treaters.....and darn it, nobody came! but seeing all the amazing imagery and colours on Etsy it really got me thinking. So here's my version of a Rocky Road - Halloween style.

In my mind the apricots represent pumpkins, while the other elements - toasted coconut and choc coated sultanas.....well, I'll let your imagination run wild with those ones. I've brought it all together with some dark chocolate and biscuits. I'm sure it doesn't even have to be Halloween to enjoy these treats!

ingredients
dark cooking chocolate, melted
Turkish apricots, kept whole
choc coated sultanas (or you can use choc coated nuts if there are no allergies)
Shredded coconut, toasted (either in the oven or under the grill but keep an eye on it as it turns very fast)
Savoiardi sponge finger biscuits, chopped into 7 or 8 pieces each

How to make your Halloween Rocky Road

We are on holidays at the moment so I am away from my usual kitchen. I didn't use scales or any cup measurements. I kinda just used the force. This recipe is pretty simple though. Just grab the tin you would like to use (something with highish sides) line it with baking paper and go for it.
Throw in some pieces of biscuit, some choc sultanas, a few apricots and some toasted coconut. Melt your dark choc and pour it over the mix. No need to stir, it should ooze into the crevices! Now top with a few extra apricots, choc coated sultanas and a sprinkling of toasted coconut. Pop it in the fridge to let it all set. (I used a loaf tin. We went down to the beach for half an hour or so and it was ready by the time we got back)) Chop it up into chunks and serve. If making the night before, just make sure to keep it well covered with cling film in the fridge otherwise the biscuits will dry out.

You could wrap pieces up in some greaseproof paper or a cute cellophane bag and tie with an orange and black grosgrain ribbon. Trick or treat anyone?

I'm still in a European state of mind - yoghurt, honey and thyme cakes

This is my fool proof muffin mix used a different way once again. This combination has been done before,I'm sure of it, I know it! but I've never had it. Sweet things and herbs - together - just sound so exotic to me! So I really just wanted to have a little play around with the flavour combination to see what happened. The result? 1 very chuffed cook, 1 happy husband, 2 happy ankle biters and 1 happy Mother-in-law! I hope you enjoy them too!

I've made this mix even easier so all you have to do is weigh the ingredients as you go. Just don't forget to zero it after each addition!

ingredients

220g self raising flour
80g caster sugar

75g olive oil
125g greek style yoghurt
70g milk
1 x 56g egg
30g - 40g of your favourite honey (I've used the lavender honey by Bees in Bowties again. I know - I am in LOVE!)
approx a teaspoon of fresh thyme (leaves only and keep some aside to put on top)

how to make your yoghurt, honey and thyme cakes

Pre heat your oven to 180C and line your 12 hole muffin tin with cases or spray with an oil spray.

With a spoon mix together the flour and the sugar in a bowl. set aside.

In a jug whisk together the olive oil, yoghurt, milk and the egg very lightly. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until all just combined. Add the honey and the thyme and stir through gently.

Spoon a good dessert spoon full into each hole in the tray until you have used up all your mix. Place the remaining leaves on the top of each cake. No need to press them in, they'll do their thang. Place in the oven for 18 - 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on a cooling rack before serving.

I have to say we even had these with a cup of tea the next day for a quick and yummy breakfast......mmmmm

Fetta and Silverbeet Banitsa

This is one of my all time favourite snacks. I hadn't made it in absolutely ages. It's one of those treats I make when the weather gets a little warmer. You do need to use the oven but I always let the banitsa cool down first before devouring PLUS it's best eaten outside (so the ducks can eat the crumbs!!)

You can add silverbeat to the cheese or just enjoy a simple fetta banitsa.Share it with friends over some beer or a sweet white wine. It's something I grew up with and always reminds me of home. You could even throw some fennel seeds and salt flakes and ground pepper over the top before baking or you can always mix some fresh ricotta with the fetta for a change. Have a play around!


ingredients

1 pack antoniou filo pastry (from the fridge aisle in the supermarket)
400g south cape greek style fetta cheese
150g butter, melted
bunch of silverbeet, blanched and then squeezed dry (if using)


how to make your banitsa

Pre-heat your oven to 180C and grab 2 x cake tins or 1 large one. Line your work benches with some baking paper (large enough to lay the sheets of filo pastry out flat).
Melt your butter in the microwave in a microwave safe dish (for about 30 secs) set aside.
Grate your feta cheese. I buy the 200g packs so I usually grate one pack per banitsa, so I know the same amount of cheese is in each one. If using silverbeet, have it all ready to go. (sometimes I make one using silverbeet and cheese and the other just cheese but you could make both just with the cheese - it's totally up to you)
Now, take out your filo pastry from the box and lay it out on one of the sheets of baking paper. Bring one sheet of pastry over to the other sheet of baking paper and lay it down. Drizzle an even layer of the melted butter. Grab another sheet of pastry and lay it over the top of the piece you just drizzled butter over. Drizzle some more butter. Grab another sheet and lay it over the top. You should now have 3 sheets on top of each other. Now grab some fetta cheese and make a line lengthways, a mini mountain you could say. Roll it up lengthways and then twist into a snail. This will be the heart of your banitsa (and the yummiest, meltiest part!) Continue on with the other sheets except instead of making into snails you will place the rolled up filo around the heart. (See pic if unsure)until your tin is full. Then, it's on to making your other banitsa.
When finished scatter some fetta cheese over the top of each banitsa and throw in the oven. Bake at 180C for 30 mins until crispy and lightly browned.

Please be careful when it comes out of the oven, the filling will be very,very hot. Let it cool but don't worry the cheese retains it's yummy gooiness. yum yum!

The Gruffalo likes Sweet Potato, Banana and Honey Slice!

Sounds weird but tastes delicious, I promise.

"Bake your Cake and eat it too" by Tamara Milstein was the very first cookbook I bought myself. It was all about cakes (what else!) If you see it around I definately reccomend it. It might look a little ancient as the book is broken up into regions, for example: The cakes of Europe; The cakes of Asia Pacific and so on. But there is so much to learn and gain with this book; so many techniques, so many different flavours - I myself have made the Vietnamese Mango cake, the Greek coconut and fig cake and the Indian carrot cake, to name just a few. One of my favourites from this book was a 'Sweet Potato Date Cake' (from the Middle East secton of course) I'd been thinking about that cake eversince I made the Sweet potato, chickpea and risoni salad; but I wanted to make it mine. So I ditched the dates, the walnuts, the nutmeg and the cinnamon, decided it would become a slice, adjusted the butter, sugar and flour and added some ripe banana and a wonderful Lavender honey. The result? Something that the little ones love (and my love affair with sweet potato continues...)

ingredients

1 large sweet potato, after you have peeled it you will need 300g, cubed
100g unsalted butter, cubed and softened
90g caster sugar
2 eggs
100g Self raising flour
1 mashed banana
1-2 tablespoons honey (or approx 30g - I used lavender honey by Bees in Bowties)

how to make your Sweet Potato, Banana and Honey Slice

First of all, peel your sweet potato and chop into bite size pieces. When you have 300g, pop it into a microwaveable container with 1/2 cup of water, cover loosely and microwave for 5 mins. Check that they are all cooked through. Drain off the water, mash with a fork and set aside to cool. At least 20 minutes.

Pre-heat your oven to 180C and line a slice tin with some baking paper. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer then add the sweet potato. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the flour, the mashed banana and the honey. Mix through with a spoon then pop into your tin, levelling the mix. Bake in the oven for 30 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool slightly, dust wth some icing sugar and cut into slices. Makes approx 18 squares. Yum!

If you wanted to go totally crazy (and why not!) you could top the slice with a cream cheese frosting. 500g cream cheese, softened; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 3 1/3 cups (500g) icing sugar - beat cream cheese using electric beaters until smooth. Add vanilla and beat well. Gradually add icing sugar, beating until smooth and creamy. Spoon onto slice and serve. If there were no allergies you could even sprinkle over some toasted walnuts.

Thank you Katrina for the tix to The Gruffalo show and a big HI to the girls in my mothers group who read my blog!

Bring out the ouzo! - Mykonos Toasted Sandwich

Idon't always plan the family meals for the week. Usually I like to buy a few things and then see what we all feel like. However, last week I had about 5 nights of meals sorted. 3 of those happened, one remains on hold in the freezer and the other, well it morphed into something else. I was all set for making my stuffed capsicums and then I just didn't feel like it. The weather was hot and dry and I felt like something light and summery. I had to use up some greek yoghurt and salad and suddenly I was taken back to the Greek Islands all those years ago. For every meal, as I travelled around the islands, I enjoyed home-made Tzatziki, wild grown tomatoes, crusty bread and usually a yeeros filled to the brim with lamb. Here is my version of those simple dishes smashed together and made into a steak sandwich. Opa!

ingredients

Serves 2 adults and 2 children

Lamb and marinade
500g lamb strips (You want large strips [see pic]. The kind you can sear on each side for a minute or two easily with tongs. Thin and small stirfry strips won't really work in this dish)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
a good grinding ground pepper
about 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
a dash of olive oil

tzatziki
200g greek yoghurt (I like Jalna brand for its thickness)
1 small lebanese cucumber, skin on, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, finely diced
lemon juice to taste (1 to 2 teaspoons)

ripe tomatoes (3-4 slices per sandwich, very lightly salted)
baby lettuce leaves
8 slices of whatever bread you'd like to use, well toasted
butter (for the lettuce side)

how to make your mykonos toasted sandwiches

first of all, make your tzatziki. In a plastic container with a lid add the yoghurt, diced cucumber, diced garlic and lemon juice. mix well, pop on the lid and put back in the fridge until your ready.

Now wash your tomatoes and lettuce, lightly salt the tomatoes and set aside.

Pop your bread in the toaster ready to push down; or if using thicker bread then pop under the grill.

Pop the lamb strips into a bowl with the remaining 7 ingredients and give it a good toss together.

Throw a dash of oil in a pan and put it on high heat. When really,really hot pop the bread down in the toaster and then place each piece of meat in the pan. Allow a minute or so then turn over and cook for another minute or until done to your liking.

Butter one side of the toast and lay the lettuce and tomato on this half. On the other half spread the tzatziki, then lay some of the lamb strips and serve immedately.

If your unsure whether your kids will like the tzatziki you could always use less garlic or go for something else like hommus.

Pear and Ricotta Tarts with Fox Drink Water Syrup

My very good friend, Caroline and I have put together a little store on Etsy; you can find us here! If you are in need of something Vintage and Fabulous and Kitcheny, then check it out!

To celebrate our efforts in putting this shop together I wanted to create a scrumptious dessert that reflected both of us; something that we would devour in 5 seconds flat! Having recently been spoiled to a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, Caroline also made her unbelievably delicious brown sugar syrup. So I created a tart that would have to incorporate this liquid yumminess.You can see her wonderful recipe for pikelets and brown sugar syrup here. I hope you enjoy sharing the tarts with your friends and we hope you enjoy perusing our little vintage shop! (We are still to add a few more pieces but we will get there shortly, drop in and say 'Hi'.)


When I first started creating this recipe Quinces were still just in season so I have included the details for that so when next season rolls around you'll be able to give it a go too!

ingredients

For the Quince Tarts -

approx 2 quinces (you will need 1 quarter per tart), stewed and cooled. (Just make sure they are not stewed for too long otherwise they will be too mushy)
250g ricotta cheese - Perfect Italiano Brand from the cheese section in the supermarket
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons plain flour
2 sun-ripened figs (Angus Park do a pack of these that aren't dried and are very scrummy)

For the Pear and Ricotta Tarts -

2 pears, Don't peel and core them until ready to assemble - I used just ripe Josephine pears
250g ricotta cheese - Perfect Italiano brand from the cheese section in the supermarket
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons plain flour
2 tablespoons of dried currants

For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry -

150 g Plain flour, sieved
Pinch Salt
85 g Unsalted butter, cold and cut into rough cubes
1 Egg yolk
1 - 2 tbsp Cold water
25 g Caster sugar



how to make your Pear and Ricotta Tarts with Fox Drink Water Syrup (or Quince Tarts with Fox drink Water Syrup)

*makes six 9cm diameter tarts

First of all make your pastry so you can pop it in the fridge for half an hour or until ready to use.

Put the flour, sugar, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor and process briefly - to make fine breadcrumbs.

With the machine running, add the egg yolk and continue to process. Add a little water until it just comes together.

If making the pastry by hand, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs then, using your hands, add the egg yolk and just enough water to bring it together.

Flatten it out as it will be easier to roll out then wrap in glad wrap and pop in the fridge.

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Roll out the pastry between 2 pieces of glad wrap or glad bake until it's about 1/2 cm in thickness. Cut into 6 rough squares. Spray your 6 9cm diameter tart tins with oil spray(I have a tin that's like a muffin tin except it's for tarts! It was a wedding present from family, one of the best presents ever!!) and then press the pastry into each tin. Tidy up edges roughly they should look a little rustic.

Next, grab a bowl and whisk the ricotta, plain flour, egg yolk and caster sugar together until smooth. Stir through the currants (or figs). Pop into each pastry lined tart tin then top with thinly sliced pear (or quinces). Pop in the oven for 20 - 25 mins, until pastry is cooked and mixture is set.

Leave to cool in the tins for 5 - 10 mins (before then it will be too tricky to get them out unless of course you are giving each person their own individual tart in a tin - that would look kinda cute!)

Pop on a plate and drizzle liberally with the delicious Fox Drink Water Syrup. Enjoy!

spring-a-ding-ding - Sweet potato, chickpea and risoni salad

Chucking fresh herbs in a salad, especially when you've grown the herbs yourself, is one of the best things! This is my favourite salad and I know that there are many salads similar to this one but I can honestly say I threw this one together out of desperation when I was pregnant with my first child. My cravings consisted of anything fresh: fruit, salads, asian broths - I had never been so healthy in all my life! One vegetable though I ate practically everyday was sweet potato. I couldn't get enough of it. So, this salad was born and we still LOVE it. Whenever there is a touch of warm weather I always throw it together for a quick and easy meal. There are no hard and fast rules with this dish, just make sure everything is beautiful and fresh and it will definately take you to a sunny place!

ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
half piece of butternut pumpkin (if you like), peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
1 zucchini, chopped into 4 pieces
1 spanish onion, peeled and chopped
1 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup risoni, cooked
1 bunch coriander
1 bunch parsley
1 lemon
salt and pepper
extra virgn olive oil

how to make your sweet potato, chickpea and risoni salad

Pre heat your oven to 180C. Chop up your vegies and throw on a baking dish and drizzle with some extra virgn olive oil. Pop in the oven for about half an hour. You'll need to check them every now and then as the cooking time depends on what size you have chopped your vegies.
Heat up a frying pan gently with some olive oil and throw in your chopped spanish onion. Sweat over a low heat until very soft. Now pop a pot of water on the stove over a high heat. When boiling add your cup of risoni. (You could omit risoni and use cous cous instead)
Back to the onion, add the cumin and give it a stir until fragrant then throw in your chickpeas and heat through until soft.
When risoni is cooked, drain. Grab a large bowl, throw in: the onion,chickpea mix,the vegies and the risoni. Now throw in your roughly chopped herbs, some salt and pepper to taste and a good spritz of lemon juice. Give it a good toss, check seasonings and throw in a serving dish. voila!

Beautiful served warm straight away but also yummy cold the next day!