Sunday, February 6, 2011

Pauls and Davids Gnocci



Ingredients
9 medium desiree potatoes, boiled till soft and steamed off till cool.
4 free range medium eggs
Approx 1 cup plain strong flour

Fresh tomato sauce with basil.

 Squeeeeze potatoes through ricer
 Add 4 eggs and enough flour to make a very soft dough.
The texture should be light and able to be rolled out.
If unsure, roll a test piece before adding too much extra flour.
Then, if you have excellent hand-eye coordination, use the precision technique of cutting the Gnocci as fast as you can in the same size pieces. Can YOU do it?

Boil in salted water for approx 10 minutes.
Watch them carefully after the 6 minute mark. They may go gooey!
So make lots of taste tests ...mmm

Thanks Paul.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Multigrain and Thyme Sourdough


Add 1/2 cup mixed grain (cracked wheat, cracked sunflower seeds, cracked corn) and leaves from a handful of thyme.


Tomato Ketchup

Pick your cherry tomatoes and halve them.
place on a baking tray sprayed with olive oil and crack fresh pepper and a little salt over them.
Scatter thyme leaves and spray more olive oil.
Bake in a 180-200 degree C oven for approx 20-30 minutes. 
Then place in a saucepan and reduce further over low heat.
Once almost reduced to a ketchup consistency sieve the seeds and skins and return sauce to heat.
NB: Keep skins and seeds to add bulk to pesto or relish.
Reduce to the consistency you want your Ketchup then add flavourings.
Add worchestershire sauce by the teaspoon depending on your taste and how many tomatoes you have.
Add a little brown sugar.
Add a touch of apple cider vinegar.
Add more pepper or a little cayenne if you want it spicy.
Pour into jars and bring to the boil in a saucepan then let cool to preserve.

Hestons Hamburgers


Ingredients:
Homegrown baby tomatoes
Polski Ogorki Pickles
American Yellow Mustard
Rocket & Carrot (salad)
Homegrown beetroot, cooked and sliced
Homemade Burger Buns

Homemade Burger Patties:
800g mince
pinch salt and pepper
1 egg
handful breadcrumbs
dash worchestershire sauce
pinch homegrown dried herbs

Method:
Mix all burger pattie ingredients together with yoru hands.
Form into round patties the size of your (burger) buns.
Cook on medium heat (either BBQ or stovetop frypan) approx 10 mins each side.
Assemble burgers as shown:



Inspired by Heston Blumenthal.

Pretzels

Mark Schneckenburger showed us how to make Pretzels the Proper way.

Pumpkin, Thyme and Ricotta Ravioli w/ Burnt Sage Butter


Pumpkin, Thyme and Ricotta Ravioli w/ burnt Sage Butter

I went to my friend Geoff's place to make this amazing pasta!




Nice sunset over Toorale Road Dubbo.




Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Tomatoes!

  Tomatoes in the hundreds.

Arriving back to Dubbo this January was an exciting time and collecting many hundreds of tomatoes was a welcome delight.
 These overripe red cherry's (var. 'Tommy Toe') were destined for a relish or ketchup of some sort.

I am so happy to be able to pick some fresh produce now I am back.
Then we arrived at Jess and Geoff's place where they have kindly invited us to stay while we are waiting to move into a place down the road. They have taken great care of our vegies and herb pots we left at their place over Christmas, extending their irrigation systems to provide water to them, especially our thirsty tomato vines. The following assortment of delightfully colourful Heirloom tomatoes is the result!

 Geoff and Jess have a little aclove that is protected on three sides and faces south so the heat isnt too severe in summer where they have tree ferns and herbs and tomatoes. The big ones you see are from the corners of the little aclove and taste amazing - there is a big dark reddish purple tomato that had hints of all sorts of flavours if you let your imagination go wild.......shiraz depth...and overall an earthy, meaty tomato great for our lunch sangas.
 The bright orange heirloom tomatoes were creamy in texture, much like a persimmon, but not sweet.. more savoury with a tang - perfect for a relish where other sweet things are added.
 Geoff, Daniel and Jess with the goodies.


 I picked over them for my favourites (wild sweeties) then throughout the week we made Bolognese, Burgers, Relish and Ketchup.
 A little truss of lemon drops (var. 'Yellow Beams Pear').
Little gems (var. 'wild sweetie').