Silverbeet, Pea and Watercress Soup with croutons

First up, the croutons…

…really added a lot to this soup. They came about because I bought a loaf of DELICIOUS potato & rosemary bread from Central Baking Depot, but forgot about it and it went stale. Not one to waste, I ripped it into chunks (crust and all) and baked it in the oven til crispy.

Now the soup…

Ingredients (are as always not weighed or measured as I make these things for dinner and am usually tired and hungry)

• onion
• few cloves garlic
• silverbeet and water cress in equal amounts
• about 15Og peas
• vege stock
• 1 carrot
• sprinkling dried mixed herbs
• goats cheese or sour cream to serve
• lots chopped parsley to serve

1. 1. Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil to soften
2. 2. Add the chopped white stalks of the silverbeet and fry a little to soften
3. 3. Add the peas, herbs and stock and bring to the boil
4. 4. Add the green parts of the silverbeet and cook for about 15 minutes.
5. 5. Take off heat and stir in water cress leaves to wilt
6. 6. Blend
7. 7. Re-heat (but don’t boil extensively]
8. 8. Serve over croutons with a dollop of goats cheese or sour cream and a generous helping of chopped parsley

more wasabi: Kale, Kumera and Tempeh with wasabi mayo

I'm trying to shop almost exclusively "in season" which means I am repeating a lot of ingredients here as they are what I can buy at Alfalfa House. Still it's nice to have options when you buy something in bulk, so here's my latest wasabi / sweet potato excursion.

Ingredients:

1 kumera / sweet potato

half a bunch or so of kale

2 carrots

1 packet tempeh (Alfalfa House sells amazing fresh tempeh, in a clear packet. If you live nearby GET SOME)

thumb-length nob of ginger, finely sliced julienne

3 large cloves garlic, finely sliced

2 spring onions, inc green parts

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1/2 a lemon, juiced

1/2 lime, juiced (you could just use 1 lemon)

sesame oil for frying / roasting

water

wasabi mayo (which can easily be made by mixing wasabi paste and mayo - or vegan mayo - together to taste)

1. Cube the sweet potato and lay out on a sesame oiled baking tray. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and toss around the tray to coat a little with the oil. Roast in the oven on medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, cube the tempeh (about 1.5cm square) and fry in sesame oil, chilli flakes and soy sauce til crispy and just starting to burn.

3. Add the tempeh to the oven tray and turn the oven down, leaving the tray in the oven to keep it warm.

4. Rip the kale into pieces and cube the carrot small.

5. Fry the julienned ginger and garlic in sesame oil for a couple of minutes, then add 1 tbsp water, stopping them from browning.

6. Add the kale, carrot, lemon and lime juice (plus a little splash more soy) to the pan and stir fry, further cooking the garlic and ginger and softening the kale and carrot. (I like my carrot really crunchy so I actually didn't add it til a few minutes in).

7. Slice the spring onion

8. Place some kale & carrot on a plate, then top with tempeh and sweet potato. Garnish with spring onions and pop a dollop of wasabi mayo on the side.

Eat!

Wasabi Vege Tortilla Wrap

The other night I attempted to make a sweet potato cous cous salad for my favourite homo, Cameron. I went about my cous cous making the same way I always do but it rapidly turned into a globby, gooey, mashed-potato-porridge lump! I think the cous cous belonged to my subletter from months ago and had been in the cupboard some time...

Anywaaaay, I quickly turned to my fridge-full-of-tortilla (the accidental purchase that just keeps giving) and made the following.

NB: Cameron said it was too much wasabi for him. Pansy.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 tortilla wrap per person
• Half a sweet potato, cut into teeny tiny cubes (1cm square)
• 5-6 snow peas
• 6 asparagus spears
• a few button mushrooms
• 1 spring onion, chopped (inc green part)
• 1 large garlic clove (I also used a couple of cloves I had pre-roasted)
• 2 teaspoons whole egg mayo (I can't emphasise the importance of whole egg enough. Do NOT use that sugary Praise shit)
• 1 teaspoon wasabi (or less if your guest is a pansy)
• Salt & Pepper
• Sesame oil for roasting / frying

1. Spread the sweet potato out on an oiled (sesame or peanut is best but vege or canola will do) oven tray, sprinkle with salt & pepper and roast in a medium oven til soft and browning.

2. Meanwhile, slice the other veges.

3. Fry the mushrooms first, in a little sesame oil. Then add the chopped fresh garlic.

4. Mix together the mayo and wasabi (in a little bowl - or, if you hate washing up, smear them together directly onto the tortilla). You can also smear some slow roasted garlic onto the tortilla if you have some (and if you love garlic).

5. When the sweet potato is done, turn off the oven and chuck the snow peas, asparagus and spring onion into the mushroom pan and fry til just cooked but still crunchy (only a few minutes!)

6. Place the veges on the wasabi-mayo-ed tortilla, wrap and eat like a burrito or soft taco.

Easy What's-in-the-fridge Quesadilla

I was hungry on the weekend and scanned an odd selection of ingredients in my fridge in the hope of inspiration. I had a party recently where I intended to make Mexican food, changed my mind at the last minute and ended up with a whole lot of tortilla. And so, my first attempt at a quesadilla (which doesn't really resemble a traditional quesadilla) was born. It was delicious so I blog it.

Ingredients:

• 2 wholemeal tortilla per person
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• sliced red capsicum
• a few chopped green olives
• handful baby spinach
• grated mozarella
• some goats cheese or Danish feta (Meredith Goats cheese is cheese of the Gods and worth the cash. Just sayin')

1. Fry the onions and garlic til soft and a little browned if you like 'em that way

2. Meanwhile, slice the other veges and grate the cheese

3. Take the onions and garlic out of the pan and place the tortilla in, on a low heat

4. Place all toppings on the tortilla, like you would a pizza. Start with half the cheese, then add veges, then add the rest of the cheese. NB: I recommend placing some mozarella around the rim of the tortilla as, when it melts, you can use it to stick the top tortilla to the bottom

5. Once your toppings are on, place another tortilla on top and press down with spatula or hands til the melting cheese sticks them together

6. Carefully flip the quesadilla with a large spatula (or in whatever way you can without all the ingredients spilling out)

7. Toast on both sides til toppings are warm and tortilla crispy

8. Remove. Cut into quarters. Eat.

The toppings I used really were delicious, but you could of course use anything you liked.

Tofu, Black Bean and Spinach Stew with Tortilla

I made this on a whim, so didn't really use specific quantities... It was super hearty and delicious.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 block of firm tofu, cut into little cubes (about 1cm square)
• approx. 1 cub dry black beans, which you have soaked overnight in water
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1 large onion
• 1 heaped teaspoon of powdered chipotle chilli
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried coriander seed powder
• half a teaspoon of cumin
• vege stock (fresh or cubes added to water)
• generous handful of spinach

To serve:

• wholemeal tortilla wraps (or lebanese bread or mountain bread)
• cumin
• olive oil
• goats cheese (or sour cream)
• parsley

1. In case you missed it above, black beans must be soaked overnight.

2. Chop garlic and onion and fry in olive oil til softened but not browned

3. Add spices and tofu cubes and fry a little longer

4. Rinse black beans in a sieve and add to pot. Cover with vege stock and bring to the boil.

5. Slow boil for several hours. I cooked mine about 3 hours on a slow boil. If you have a slow cooker you could use that. I don't so I just used a little pan. You will need to check it regularly and add water as it evaporates so it doesn't burn.

6. Just before eating, add spinach leaves and stir to wilt.

7. Rub olive oil into tortilla and dust with cumin, salt and pepper. Place under a hot grill and toast til browning. When you first pull them out they will be soft - you can fold or shape them and then they will harden in the pretty shape as they cool a little.

8. Serve soup with a dollop of goats cheese (or feta, or sour cream or nothing if you are vegan), chopped parsley and the tortilla.

Note: This would be delicious with mushrooms I think. Just a thought!

Summer Lentil Salad

Ingredients:
1 can brown lentils (or brown lentils you have soaked and stuff)
half a bulb of fennel, finely sliced
handful or two of sugar snap peas, blanched in boiling water then quickly run under a cold tap
half a red capsicum, roughly chopped
a cucumber, chopped into chunks
a handful or two of tiny cheery tomatoes or grape tomatoes
4 radishes, finely sliced
small handful of parsley, chopped
tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
small handful mint, chopped

half a lemon, squeezed
half a lime, squeezed
a good splash of olive oil
1 small chilli, desseded and chopped
1 small garlic clove, very finely chopped

slices of fried haloumi (optional. is still delicious without it for vegany joy! avocado slices would work too. or a dollop of humous)
or feta

You could also add baby spinach to bulk it up! or chick peas if that's your thing.

Chuck everything in a bowl and mix!
Serve topped with fried haloumi slices or feta or avocado or humous.

...

smashed pea, feta and dill crostini

So this little delight isn't mine (though the dairy-free version is). I got it from my housemate's cookbook which I can't find right now but will find later in order to reference... I couldn't resist a recipe with the word "smashed" in the title!

These are delicious and have been met with much appreciation whenever served. And better yet, they are so easy.

serves 4

Ingredients:
a loaf of bread (good bread like sourdough or rye or at least something fresh and bakery bought!)
2 cups peas (the recipe called for fresh but I have used frozen and it's great)
about 150g danish feta
a tablespoon chooped fresh dill
2 small cloves garlic
1 lemon
olive oil
rock / sea salt and pepper

for dairy-free version:
1 potato
3 dill pickled gherkins
a teaspoon of whole egg mayonnaise


1. In a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic and dill with rock / sea salt and a splash of olive oil.
2. Add the peas, handful at a time, depending on your mortar size. You'll need to scoop out each handful into a bowl as you smash them. Smash them into a paste, but keep some intact for texture. Each batch you smash should get a little splash of olive oil as well.
3. Once you've smashed all the peas, crumble in danish feta and stir through. You don't want big lumps, but a big lumpy, yummy mixture a bit like mashed potato.
4. Toast your bread, rub with a little olive oil and rub with a halved garlic glove (cut side down)
5. Mountain on the pea mush - be generous!
6. Squeeze lemon over the crostini, crack pepper on top, garnish with a sprig of dill (or some finely diced tomato) and serve.

For the dairy-free version:
1. Chop potato into tiny cubes and boil until softened but still firm.
2. Mix with mayo and gherkin when cool.
3. Stir through instead of feta.

Vegan version:
Use vegan mayo or a bit of avocado would be nice too.

tofu, leek and mushroom bake

Last night I had dinner at Yulli's a new(ish) vegetarian place on Crown St. The food was ok, not amazing, but filling and varied and tasy and most importantly, we were able to have an entire vegan meal for my brother's phd celebrations.

Anyway we had some mushroom, leek and ginger dumplings and they were good, but over-gingered. So tonight I decided to make something similar (as bake not dumplings as am tired after work).

and so here it is. it is neither exact nor measured as it is a thrown together dinner. and it is one of those chuck-in-what's-in-the-cupboard-and-see-wholefood type deals.

Ingredients:
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
a nob of ginger (about the size of two thumbs)
good splash of soy
dessert spoon of kecap manis
spices (i used about half a teaspoon of mild curry powder, cumin, paprika)
1 leek
about 12 mushrooms (button or swiss brown or field...)
cauliflower and/or broccoli (optional - I used cos I had some in the fridge, any veges would be fine)
250g soft tofu
a cup of breadcrumbs (i make my own with leftover bread)
sesame seeds
1 egg (optional. dish is vegan without the egg)

1. Fry the onion, ginger, garlic and leek in sesame or peanut oil (vegetable oil if you must)
2. Add mushrooms and other vegetables if using as well as sauces and spices
3. Stir fry for a while and crumble in tofu, stirring to combine flavours and cook a bit. You could eat it at this point as scramble tofu, but I wanted something different.
4. Oil a casserole dish and add vegetables
5. Mix bread crumbs with salt and a pinch of each of the spices and top the casserole with crumbs.
6. (optional) Whisk the egg and drizzle over.
7. Sprinkle over sesame seeds.
8. Bake until browned and crispy. Eat!


GF: to make gluten-free use gluten-free bread or skip the bread and use lots of sesame seeds. If you want carbs in there, mix through cooked brown rice or quinoa. Yum!

...

lemony veges with feta salsa

I made this delicious fresh dinner tonight when the people I sent to the shops for pepper forgot to take their phones and so I couldn't call them and tell them to get butter for the lemon / butter / pepper sauce I was hoping to make. I wanted dairy in the dinner so came up with this:

Ingredients (serves 2):
3 cloves garlic
1 small white onion
1 large fennel bulb
1 bunch asparagus
a handful of mushrooms (swiss brown best or field)
handful spinach leaves
juice of 1 lemon
lots of cracked black pepper

for the salsa:
crumbled bulgarian sheep's milk feta*
a tomato, diced
a handful of mint leaves chopped

1. Dice the onion very small and fry gently in olive oil to soften

2. Add sliced mushrooms, fennel & garlic and fry til vegetabled soften and the mushrooms start to brown a little

3. Pour in lemon juice and add spinach and asparagus

4. Stir Fry for a while, but ensure vegetables are al dente - have a bit of crunch

5. Stir together salsa ingredients and serve salsa on top of the veges.

* A Note on Feta:
The kind of feta you use is important and if a recipe just calls for feta, it is stupid (unless I have done that in previous recipes...I am not stupid...) Seriously though there is such a difference in flavour and texture and fetas respond differently to heat. I like danish feta for cooking (especially sauces) as it melts well, bulgarian feta is beautiful as it is crumbly AND creamy, whereas Greek feta is great in salads as it is firm and salty.

...

sweet potato and blue cheese muffins

so these delicious muffins have been adapted from a recipe Annabelle gave me...though I have, as is my habit, changed them substantially and added a bunch of extra ingredients...The original recipe had pumpkin, blue cheese, flour and egg...mine has -

Ingredients (makes 12):
400g chopped sweet potato
160g self raising flour
juice of a lemon
4 eggs
2 cloves garlic
half an onion
splash balsamic vinegar
splash tabasco
80g blue cheese
a handle of spinach leaves chopped
handful chopped parsley
tablespoon chopped rosemary
handful crushed walnuts
handful toasted pinenuts (fry in a dry pan or pop under the grill til browning)
olive oil for frying
salt & pepper

preheat oven to 200 celcius

1. boil the chopped sweet potato

2. meanwhile, fry the finely chopped onion and garlic in olive oil til softened then splash in tabasco and balsamic

3. when sweet potato is soft, mash it and mix it with the onion and garlic and lemon juice

4. leave the potato mixure to cool - it's important it isn't hot or it will cook the eggs when you add them!

5. once the mixture is cool, stir in the eggs (beaten before you add them) and the flour

6. add the nuts and herbs and spinach and stir to combine

7. season with salt & pepper

8. spoon half the mixture into muffin trays, place a nob of blue cheese in the centre of each muffin and then spoon mixture over the top to cover the cheese

9. bake in oven til starting to brown a little (took me about 25 minutes!)

these are great warm or cold. the blue cheese is pretty rich. if you don't like blue try a goat or feta. omnomnomnom!!!

...

tvp and noodle stir fry

So I've never cooked this tvp business before but a workmate bought some and didn't like it so she gave it to me. It's never a good sign when someone dislikes something so much they give it away, but I was willing to give the stuff a go even if it does look like dog food.

So! I made tvp stir fry and while the texture is a bit strange it's nice to have tofu in a different way and I'll probably use it again, though perhaps not often.

I haven't put very exact quantities (as if I ever do), because stir fries are so haphazard for me.

Ingredients:
1 cup tvp (you need to soak it in 1 cup boiling water for 5mins, I put a quarter of a vege stock cube in too)
rice noodles
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
small nob ginger, grated
small stick lemongrass, chopped finely
half an onion, chopped
1 red chilli
broccoli broken into florets
red capsicum, chopped
mushrooms, sliced
soy sauce
kecap manis
juice of half a lemon
sesame oil (or vege oil)

1. soak the tvp
2. meanwhile, fry onion, garlic, chilli, ginger and lemongrass in sesame til softened but not browned
3. add mushrooms
4. when mushies are starting to brown, add tvp
5. add soy, kecap manis, lemon
6. fry for a while
7. add broccoli and capsicum (and, well, any other veges you like)
8. add noodles, toss and fry

*this one isn't rocket science but it was my first go with tvp so i wanted to give it a post*
...

Alanta's Stuffed Eggplants

My lovely housemate Alanta left so we thought we'd throw her a dinner party. One of her favourite things is eggplant and thus, these stuffed eggplants were born.

Though, as with any recipe, acknowledgements are never so simple a one person's favourite veg. The stuffing stems from a rice bake my friend Amy used to make in high school...combined with a jaffle I had at a queer porn film fest a few weeks back.

YUM.

serves 8

Ingredients:
4 large eggplants
2 cups (uncooked quantity) brown rice
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic (depending how much you like garlic...)
button mushrooms
big bunch english spinach
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 blocks danish feta (sorry i don't know grams, a block should be about the size of your palm, and about an inch thick...)
a handful chopped parsley
good splash tabasco
seasoning (i use salt, pepper, cumin and paprika)
sesame seeds and parmesan to garnish

1. Halve each eggplant lengthways. Rest it on its side first to see where it will comfortably sit then slice lengthways accordingly.

2. You need to scoop out the flesh of the eggplant leaving about 1cm in. Use a small sharp knife and carve out the majority, setting it aside (you will use it). I then smoothed and got the leftovers with a spoon.

3. Salt the eggplant (innards and shells) and set aside. After 10 mins or so wash and press dry.

4. Chop garlic and onion and fry in olive til soft but not browned.

5. Add chopped mushrooms and eggplant and fry for a while to soften and mingle the flavours.

6. Meanwhile, cook the brown rice. I am lazy and use a rice cooker!

7. Stir together the rice, eggplant, mushrooms, spinach, feta* and flavours (tahini, salt & pepper etc)

8. When the filling is cold, add crumbled feta and parsley

9. Stuff eggplant halves with the mixture and place on oiled baking trays. Splash oil over the eggplants (this will speed up cooking, give a nice crispy skin and flavour).

10. Sprinkle the tops with parmesan and sesame seeds.

11. Bake til cases have softened and the top is browned and crispy.

omelettemuffins!

I saw a recipe in a magazine somewhere for omelettemuffins (my title not theirs). The premise is simple. Omelettes in muffin trays. BEST EVER. I made some this evening based on ingredients used by Annabelle in a lovely tarte she made me when in Sydney. But possibilities are endless and I can't wait to try all kinds of omelettemuffins. these were dinner ones.

what i put in (made 6 muffins):
4 eggs
teaspoon tahini
half teaspoon honey
splash milk
broccoli and cauliflower broken into little florets
slice of pre-marinated / cooked package tofu cubed small
sprinkling of cumin
splash of tabasco
pepper and salt
a little grated cheddar and parmesan
a little dried rosemary

mix everything together in large bowl, stir well, spoon into oiled muffin tray, sprinkle with parmesan, bake at 200 degrees.

happy eating!

Moonbooty Marsden’s Marvellous Marmalade

I quit my law degree a couple of weeks ago. I sum it up with the stolen phrase “capacity does not equal desire.” My fellow law-school-drop-out Hill said, rather wittily might I add, “I would rather spend the next 6 years making marmalade than building up a HECS debt.

So we made marmalade.

Got a recipe of the net. The times were wrong and we changed it to suit our taste. We made a shitload and have been handing it around town, but it was tres popular so we’ll need to make more.

I WILL UPDATE THIS WHEN I TRY SOME MORE CHANGES AND MAKE IT BETTER.

Ingredients:
• 2kg Onions (we used brown)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 3 chillis (ours weren’t strong so we added a few pinches of dried flakes, depends on your taste and the strength of your chillis)
• 1 tables spoon fresh thyme
• 200ml Port
• 750ml red wine (we used shiraz)
• 350ml red wine vinegar (you could use a bit less than this as ours was acidic)
• 4 tables spoons olive oil (you'll need an extra 100ml or so to make up for the butter)
• 140g caster sugar (next time I am using brown as I think it’ll give a richer flavour)
• pepper and salt

they said 140g butter though next time I am just using olive oil = vegan, plus the butter is visible in the jars so not pretty. so yeah. don't use butter.


1. Chop the onions. Cry (unless you are the sensibly snorkelled Hill!) Cut them in half and then finely slice into semi circles.
2. Finely chop the garlic, chilli and thyme.
3. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan with the oil, and then add the onions, garlic and chilli.
4. Stir all still covered in oil and starting to soften.
5. Sprinkle over sugar, thyme, salt, pepper and splash Tabasco.
6. Now you slow cook the onions. The recipe called for 40-50mins. We needed closer to an hour and a half. The recipe said the juices needed to evaporate. Butter doesn’t really evaporate. Flawed!
7. But this is true: “The onions are ready when they're really soft and sticky. They should be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Slow cooking is the secret of really soft and sticky onions, so don't rush this part.”
8. Pour in the wine, vinegar and port and simmer everything, still uncovered, over a high heat, stirring every so often until the onions are a deep mahogany colour and the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. The idiots at some internet site said 30mins. Pah! Closer to an hour! Or more!9. It's done when drawing a spoon across the bottom of the pan clears a path that fills rapidly with syrupy juice. Leave the onions to cool in the pan, then scoop into sterilised jars and seal.

Can be eaten straight away, but keeps in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Yum! Really good with vintage cheddar and crackers, or dolloped onto an omelette or on salad or tart or on a vege pie bought late at night with friends. Or by the spoonful if you’re my friend Lisa.

roast beetroot, sweet potato and haloumi salad

This is the love child of a donna hay recipe I read last year (oh how I miss living with Liz and her subscription) and a nadine abensur one I tested out on friends a couple of weeks ago. Both originals are divine, but the donnay hay is very filling and fatty and the nadine abensur was a bit oily and work intensive (who has time to make dukka when they get home at 6pm?)

Anyway, this is a combo of the two, but with my own touches (e.g. the sweet potato, which goes so well and looks so pretty...)

feeds 4

Ingredients:
4 Beetroot
2 Sweet potato (equal amount to beetroot)
Greens (not lettuce!): Baby Spinach, Rocket, Green Beans and/or Asparagus
3 cloves Garlic
dessert spoon of brown sugar
large handful of fresh sage leaves (must be fresh)
400-500g of haloumi (depending on whether it's a main or not, you can add / subtract haloumi)
good splash tabasco
olive oil
salt & pepper
juice of 1 lemon
half handful chopped parsley

1. Roughly chop sweet potato and beetroot and place in a baking dish (if you are serving at a dinner party and want it pretty use two baking dish, dividing the ingredients that follow so that the beetroot doesn't dye the potato pink)
2. Crush garlic and add to dish
3. Sprinkle over brown sugar, salt & pepper
4. Spread whole sage leaves through mixture
5. Splash with tabasco
6. Then splash with olive oil so that the veges are shiny and coated but not swimming in the stuff!
7. Use your hands to rub the flavourings into the veges making sure that garlic, sage etc are evenly spread around the dish
8. Bake at 180 degrees (celsius) for about half an hour-40 mins or until veges are cooked, but not mushy at all! It's nice when there is a firmness to the beetroot (though the potato can be super soft...mmmmm)

Just before they're cooked...

9. Arrange greens on plate
10. Fry sliced haloumi (in chunky chip sized pieces or larger if you prefer)
11. Pile roasted veges on the greens, place haloumi on top, sprinkle with parsley, squeeze on lemon juice and serve!

Notes re originals:
The Donna Hay was the above vege roasting process, but only with beetroot and cooked slower. Then the beetroot was placed on top of fettucine that had parmesan, marscapone and goats cheese melted through it. This is DIVINE.

The Nadine Abensur was with beetroot and fennel roasted with oil (too much oil), garlic, tabasco, salt, pepper. Then you stirred through dukkah and parsley and served on a bed of rocket with haloumi pieces and lemon squeezed over the top.

what to do with a fuckload of tomatoes

Tish and I went dumpster diving on Friday. I shall elect NOT to rant and rave about how depressing it was to see an abundance of wasted food chucked into dumpsters, nor shall I mention that it is a travesty that some shops lock their dumpsters so the food cannot be taken, that they would rather it wasted than consumed by those who cannot afford their produce.*

* I am aware that I can afford their produce and am considering taking the majority of what I find next time to charity. This was my first dumpster dive so more of an information seeking mission, a site visit if you will.

I shall instead tell you what I did with the wealth of fresh (fridge fresh!) roma tomatoes we found in Petersham. Four boxes we filled, FOUR BOXES.

I made:

SLOW ROASTED TOMATOES

Ingredients:
Roma Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Flavourings: I did 'Paprika and Tabasco' and 'Caramelised Balsamic' but world really is your oyster (or rather your tomato)

Preheat oven to 120 degrees celcius

1. Halve the tomatoes lengthways, as in the knife should slice through the little green core bit at the top where the tomato was attached to the plant - what's that called anyway?
(obviously WASH them first if they've been in a dumpster)
2. Cut out the 'core' - basically the middle bit and the seeds. You don't need to be to careful, just get the main middle section out!
3. Lay them on a tray on baking paper, skin side down.
4. Splash with a little olive oil (not too much) and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now you could cook them now (as per instructions below) or you could add flavourful fun. Up to you.

5. For the brown sugar and balsamic, I just splashed and sprinkled the two on - not too much. Likewise with the paprika and tabasco. You could try herbs (used dried though - more flavour) or chilli or curry or anything. But nothing that will burn if cooked for a long time, like cheese or garlic.

6. Put tomatoes in the oven and cook very slowly, at 120 or even lower if you have a fan forced oven - 100 celcius perhaps.

7. Cook for about 3-4 hours, but watch them to make sure they don't burn and turn them over if the skin starts to char. I often then turn off the oven and leave them in it overnight, drying out til morning.

Eat!


OVEN ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients:
Roma Tomatoes
Garlic (about 1 garlic clove to every 5 tomatoes)
Olive Oil
Salt

1. Slice just the tops off the roma tomatoes (don't chop too much!) - by tops i mean just the bit where the tomato was joined to the vine.
2. Cut the garlic cloves into slivers lenthways (each clove into 4-5 pieces) and wedge the slivers into the top of the tomatoes til they are embedded (into the soft, seedy part in the centre)
3. Places the tomatoes in a casserole dish and splash liberally with olive oil (quite a lot, but not so they are swimming in the stuff!)
4. Sprinkle on salt
5. Slow roast at 120 degrees for 3 hours, do not let them char at all!
6. Blend til smooth, and then use as pasta sauce, pizza sauce, dipping sauce or on vegetables, in lasagne, on poached eggs etc etc. Change the flavour by adding herbs, balsamic vinegar, or whatever you like in sauce!

RANDOM FACT:
I played a tomato in a musical in second year uni. My first line was 'And I am a tomato.'

Basic Vege Pasta Formula 1

I'm often disappointed by vegetarian cookbooks and restaurants when they are packed with dishes I could've come up with myself, dishes that involve really obvious combinations of flavours (you mean spinach and feta go well together??? No! what a surprise!)

A recently purchased exception to this is 'enjoy' by Nadine Abensur - just reading it makes my mouth water and nearly every recipe is something new to me in flavour, form, process or presentation (Saturday night's attempt - Roast Beetroot & Fennel with dukkah, croutons and griddled haloumi was a bit oily but I think I can improve it on second try).

But I forget in my whingeing that not everyone grew up vegetarian and not everyone was throwing dinner parties at age 12. So here's one of my basic pasta formulae. It's not really original - it incorporates recipes read, experiments done and the Viv Butter Secret* (and it always changes according to what is in the fridge). But it's good and a great place to start for beginners wanting to add more veges to their diet. It's also great if you have small amounts of a variety of vegetables in the fridge.

* the Viv Butter Secret: for months I tried to recreate my friend Viv's version of this pasta, but mine never really lived up to hers and her kitchen was too small for me to sneakily watch over her shoulder while she made it for me. Finally I squashed my pride and asked her secret. Butter, she said. A shitload of butter. Now some people may not like the pasta so rich but if you are indulging, then fry the vegetables in a big knob of butter rather than a little bit of olive oil, which I use normally.


BASIC PASTA FORMULA
to make vegan, omit cheese or use soy cheese - it'll still be great!

Ingredients:

1. pasta (any kind you like)
2. Garlic
3. Onion (optional)
4. Vegetables, which hold their colour and shape well. I recommend: broccoli, asparagus, green beans, peas, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, roasted pumpkin or sweet potato, baby spinach, rocket, sweet corn...the list goes on...
5. Cheese. I recommend: Danish feta (it melts better than greek or australian) / goats cheese, blue cheese (gorgonzola, stilton, roquefort etc) or mozarella and parmesan (grated parmesan or romano should always be included, as well as one of the above if you like)
6. Herbs. Parsley, chives, oregano and rosemary work well. If using feta cheese, I really recommend, thyme and mint (and add some lemon juice!!! and even a little chilli!)
7. Salt & Pepper

Process:
1. Fry 1-2 cloves garlic, a little diced onion and chopped mushrooms (if using) in olive oil (or butter! see above) in a deep pan on a low heat
2. Chuck in whatever vegetables you are using, chopped into bite size pieces.
3. Stir fry fro about 10 minutes - the vegetables must not be overcooked and should still have a little crunch. Don't be afraid to taste test to check this!
4. Turn off the heat and then sprinkle /crumble your cheese (grate if it is in a block) over the vegetables. Don't stir through yet, just let the cheese sit melting on top of the hot vegetables.
5. Boil water for pasta and cook according to packet instructions. I test pasta along to way to check for when it is cooked, as instructions aren't always right. You want it al dente (which means NOT overcooked)
6. Turn heat back on vegetables. If they have run out of liquid add butter, oil or a little pasta water to help the cheese melt to a sauce.
7. Add chopped herbs.
8. Drain pasta and add to veges/cheese stirring til combined.
9. Eat with freshly grated parmesan.

Most of all, experiment. Try different herbs. Try lemon juice. A splash of balsamic vinegar or white balsamic vinegar. Chilli. Sour cream. Whatever else you think of!

tips for kids

Bridget asked for vegetarian recipes for kids. don't have time for recipes right now but here are some tips:

1. Hide the Health: vege burgers, vege burgers, vege burgers. A good lentil or tofu burger always works cos it has sauce and cheese and salad and is messy and fun. That's how my parents got me to eat my lentils.

2. Colour: lentils and beans and such can be murky and brown when served to kids as dahl or stew. Try them in a colourful salad, or blend them into tomato or pumpkin soup (with cheesy toast) or at least put something colourful next to them!

3. Dips: here you can get kids to eat vege sticks AND good vitamins by way of humous, avocado, canellini bean dip etc.

4. Encourage kids to participate: get them to google a vegetarian recipe with things they like in it and then cook it together. In the same vein, buy vegetarian cookbooks with lots of pictures for them to get excited and choose stuff they like.

5. Vegetarian Pizza: yum.

6. Make a night of it: Find a local vegetarian restaurant and take the kids there.

Middle Eastern Orange Cake

Gluten Free! But not vegan...sorry

This is an absolute steal, not mine at all. But it is SUCH a good cake and someone (Hi Audrey!) emailed me, asking if I knew anything wheat free, so it seemed an opportune time to post. I have a similar recipe at home using pistachios but haven't had the time to try it out. Will do though!

NB: don't do as my mum did the other day and leave the oranges on the stove while you go out for a glass of wine. Charred oranges - no fun!

This is AWESOME served with chocolate gelato...mmm...


Claudia Roden's Middle Eastern Orange Cake

From Stephanie Alexander's The Cook's Companion

2 large oranges, washed
6 eggs, beaten
250g ground almonds
250g sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder

Boil oranges, barely covered with water, in a covered saucepan for 2 hours. Allow to cool, then cut open, remove pips and chop roughly, including the rind.

Preheat oven to 190°C and butter and flour a 24cm springform tin. Blend oranges and eggs thoroughly in a food processor. Mix ground almonds, sugar and baking powder in a bowl, then add orange mixture and whisk to combine. Pour batter into prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour. If cake is still very wet, cook a little longer. Cool in tin before gently turning out.

Peanut Sauce

(vegan)

I've been making variations of this sauce for years and love it on salad or steamed veges or as a dipping sauces for summer rolls or even vege sticks. It's based on the ubiquitous peanut sauce of Sydney Thai restaurants. Innocently ignorant I rocked up in Thailand in 2004, with visions of bathing in the stuff...only to find that it is NOT Thai at all. More Indonesian really. Or an invention of Westernised 'Asian' food.

Who cares? It's fucking good -

Ingredients:
a splash of sesame oil
1 chilli, finely chopped (more or less according to taste)
2 cm cubed nob of fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 onion (optional)
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter*
a splash of kecap manis (if you like it sweet)
200ml coconut milk (optional, according to taste and waistline...can use water to thin the sauce)

* I like crunchy peanut butter and would even go so far as to add extra crushed nut. It's up to you really, whether you use crunchy or not, but I think the nuts add texture. Smooth is better for a dipping sauce. Or if you want something lighter, just use crushed nuts.

1. Chop garlic, chilli and onions very finely and grate the ginger.
2. Fry these in sesame oil til softened but not brown.
3. Add the peanut butter and stir until combined
4. Gradually add the soy sauce, combining it with the peanut mixture
5. Add in the coconut milk (the first time you make it, put a little then test and repeat this til you get it to the richness that YOU like)

Stand aside while you cook rice, steam veges etc. Or make a salad with boiled eggs and pour over that for Gado Gado salad. Or make summer rolls.

Tip: I like to squeeze lemon juice over my steamed veges or salad as the acid contrasts really well with the sweetness / heat of the sauce.