Fire Cider

30 Mar

Fire Cider is an old folk remedy made from immune boosting fresh herbs which are left to macerate and mature in organic Apple Cider Vinegar. Of course, you can also drink it fresh now, and lay down a few bottles for later.

Recipes differ depending on region and available herbs so don’t stress if you haven’t got something. Make do & mend is our motto, so give it a red hot go!

You need a food processor or juicer or similar to extract the maximum goodness out of the ingredients. Just chuck it all in and whizz it all up is my philosophy. It will settle and clear as it stands in the bottle. Don’t shake it before you drink it, just drink the clear (ish) liquid at the top.

Of course, if you can’t handle the taste (it is STRONG!) then you can always use it as an antiseptic surface or hand cleaner in these crazy CoronaVirus times!

Chilli Infused Olive Oil

23 Mar

Now that most of us are at home, we can really immerse ourselves in slow food. Apparently Bunnings have been stripped bare of herb and veg seedlings so everyone is digging their ‘Victory Garden’ as we speak. I think that Covid-19 will change the way we buy and consume everything. I sincerely hope that you and your family and friends stay safe. The only thing I can offer is ideas, recipes and support for those on a new journey with food.

Some of these take time to mature, to reach full flavour. This is one of these.

If you like Chilli, you will love this. I add it to everything, I love the mild heat and flavour. Chilli is also apparently an immune booster, so we might all need it in these extraordinary times.

Find a bottle with a cork or lid and pour the chilli flakes into the bottom. Add the oil and put it away for a few weeks until it has turned a lovely deep red colour. You can also use whole chillis but it may take longer for the flavour to develop. If it is too hot for your taste, decant half into another bottle and add more olive oil. If not strong enough, simply add more chilli flakes and seeds.

Moroccan Chick Pea Stew

20 Mar

Now the supermarket shelves have been stripped of chick peas, you must have some at hand! This is a lovely warming meal that even the kids will love. I always cook much more than is needed for a single meal and suggest you do the same. Fill the freezer with nutritious meals, hand out to friends or elderly neighbours and relatives. There is nothing better, on a day when you walk in the door exhausted and unable to even think about food, to pull something homemade, nutritious and delicious out of the freezer!

I use our ready made frozen passata as the tomato base but you can use tinned tomatoes or fresh. Let’s assume you’re starting from scratch:

Fry the onion in a mix of olive oil and balsamic until translucent. Whizz the tomatoes in a food processor and pour into the pan. Add a good glug of balsamic, the salt, Mixed Spice, Turmeric and Honey or brown sugar and stir well. If you like chilli or a bit of heat and the rest of the family can tolerate it, add some chilli flakes or chilli oil now.

Add the chick peas and bring to the boil quickly then slowly simmer for several hours. Stews are brilliant for Autumn and Winter days when you are at home as they simmer slowly on the backburner.

Serve with rice. As with all stews and curries, it’s always better on the second day!

Cheese & Onion Frittata

17 Mar

I’m cleaning out the pantry and getting organised for the Coronavirus lockdown. We also have enough food for months here, but pantry moth and new bulk orders arriving this week mean a big clean out and tidy up. With a pile of old onions looking decidedly seedy, I decided to capitalise on the over abundance of eggs and make an old favourite.

Fry the onions slowly first until they are translucent and soft, then slide them into a pie dish. Whizz the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and a handful of herbs (whatever you have to hand) and pour over the onions. Give a gentle stir so the onions are not all heavy at the bottom of the dish and then pop it into a hot (approx 260 degs) oven for about 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (mine was a little too brown but it was so scrummy!)

Herb Fritters with Green Tahini Dip

11 Feb

I got new recipe books for Christmas – lots of Ottolenghi and I am loving having new ideas and new Simple recipes that even my picky eater child loves. This one I first made on New Year’s Eve and it has rapidly become a family favourite. Herbs are SO SIMPLE to grow and I highly recommend that you have a pot or a patch or whatever you can manage in your personal living arrangement – they are hardy and require little water. In fact, I always say that herbs thrive on benign neglect.

Any herbs will do for this super easy and quick recipe!

Fill the food processor with a mix of herbs (I use parsley, oregano, sage, thyme, basil if I have it – parsley is the mainstay), 2 or 3 of slices of old bread, a handful of raisins (don’t you love how precise I am?!), a big handful of whatever nuts you have to hand & 8 large eggs. Whizz well & form into patties and fry quickly in hot oil or butter. Drain on kitchen roll and serve warm.

For the Green Tahini Sauce:

Fill the food processor with parsley, a couple of big garlic cloves (deskinned), 4 or 5 tablespoons of lemon juice, a pinch of good salt and about 100g tahini. Blitz well and serve.

If you want the real recipe, I cannot recommend Ottolenghi’s book Simple highly enough, just loving using fresh and easy ingredients to make amazing meals.

Pesto

12 Mar

Is there anything more redolent of summer than the sweet and garlicky green gorgeousness of Basil Pesto? In our family, there is never enough Basil or Pesto, and I always try and put a few tubs in the freezer at the end of summer so in deep mid winter I can surprise and delight my boys with a feast of Pesto Pasta.

Basil is SO easy to grow in Australia, it thrives on neglect and our hot sunny days, so even if you live in a shoebox, put some in a window box or on a balcony and harvest regularly. Basil loves to be cut and harvested and by the time you turn around the following week it will be back with more bounty – it’s a magical herb for passata too!

100g Basil leaves
100g cashews (much cheaper and sweeter than pine nuts!)
35ml lemon juice
2 medium garlic cloves
30g parmesan cheese
150ml olive oil
salt to taste

Hommous

12 Mar

It’s the perfect lunch, all year round. Full of phyto oestrogens and protein. We like to cook the chick peas in the Thermomix, but canned are fine and a lot less hassle!

Easy to freeze and lasts for a week in the fridge, so make a big batch so there is always a tub to grab for a healthy, hearty lunch.

200g chickpeas
75ml lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
100g tahini
40-50ml olive oil
1 tsp salt
cumin to taste

Chuck it all in the blender and whizz until creamy and smooth – add water for a more runny consistency if desired

Beetroot Hommous

12 Mar

I love this so much – the colour, the sweet nuttiness, and how filling it is. It is a beautiful easy and nurturing lunch. Perfect for lunch boxes or pails for people (large and small) on the move:

Big handful of cashews
1 tbsp cumin
200g cooked beetroot
3 tbsp tahini
2 large garlic cloves
Juice of 2 large lemons
1tsp sea salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

(I like my dips really thick, but for a more runny version, just add some water in the mix as you blend.)

Chuck everything in the blender and whizz til smooth and creamy

Sweet, Sour & Spicy Cucumber Salad

12 Mar

It’s that time of year when the veggie patch harvest has reached glut proportions. This is a summer/autumn favourite in our house – particularly with the small man. We use our homegrown honey and chilli flakes (dried in the sun) and Apple Cider Vinegar as it is so good for you, but I’m sure a wine vinegar would work equally well, if that’s what you’ve got in the pantry!

Approx 900g cucumbers
1tbsp honey
80g vinegar
Sprinkle of chilli flakes, depending on your love for the hot stuff!

Place honey and vinegar in a large bowl and mix well. Add Chilli flakes to taste. Skin and chop cucumbers into rough cubes and place in bowl. Mix thoroughly, coating the cukes with the dressing. Then (and this is crucial!) place in fridge for a few hours before serving. This lets the cucumber juice release and the flavours of the marinade to intensify and permeate the cukes. Sitr again before serving – enjoy!

Hearty Lentil Stew

14 Jun

This is a winter warmer that both vegetarians and carnivores will love. It’s so hearty and full of flavour, yet so easy to make. Get a big pot and make plenty so you can fill the freezer for those cold winter nights when you can’t be bothered to cook!

Use PUY LENTILS (labelled as French Lentils in Aussie supermarkets) which only need to soak for an hour or so before cooking as they have a more complex flavour.

Method:

Dice the onion and fry in olive oil, adding a couple of good glugs of balsamic vinegar as the onion starts to brown and stirring well. Chuck in your soaked lentils with another litre of water and stir in the organic miso paste (this is the secret ingredient!) and let the flavour develop while bringing to the boil then turn down the heat and start the long simmer. If you have a wood burning stove/fire this is perfect for simmering all day and night, or you can do it in a slow cooker. The idea is to let all the flavours develop slowly.

Add another good glug of balsamic, a jar of organic tomato paste or your own passata. You can chuck in a couple of tins of chopped tomatoes too. A teaspoon of salt, plenty of pepper and a splash of chilli oil if you like. You can also add ‘sneaky’ or not so sneaky veg for more flavour and chunks. Simmer, simmer, simmer slowly. This is slow food at its very best.

And here’s the trick – like many good meals, don’t serve it up on the day you cook it – the next day is best.

Serve either on its own with parmesan and croutons on top, or with rice.

Let me know how you like it – it’s a firm favourite for all the family & visitors here!