Bits and pieces from last week

I picked the last of the granny smiths last week.  I hadn't realised there were any left until all the leaves had fallen.

So I made an apple and raspberry crumble.  I never cook the fruit before putting on the topping.  I sprinkled a bit of brown sugar over the apples and raspberries (frozen).  Then in the Magimix I put a cup of flour, 125g butter, 3/4 cup sugar (white or brown, doesn't matter), 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teasp cinnamon and pulsed it until it resembled breadcrumbs.  I then threw in some leftover almonds that I had toasted in the oven and whizzed up for something else and pulsed again.  Tipped it over the fruit

and baked it at 180c for about 45 minutes until nicely browned on the top:

Sorry pics are a bit blurry, must have had the camera on the wrong setting

The butcher had some lovely pork chops from Otway Pork that I cooked up too.  I think pork chops need a bit of grooving up so I marinated them in this mix:

1 tblsp fennel seeds, toasted in a dry pan and crushed in the pestle and mortar,

2 cloves garlic, crushed, 80 ml verjuice, a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes,  s & p and a few sprigs of thyme.

Two hours should do it, overnight is good.  I then cooked them on the chargrill, and served them with celeriac puree and brussels sprouts.

The other thing I am into at the moment is roasted broccoli.  I am trying lots of ways to cook broccoli in anticipation of a glut out of the veggie garden in a few weeks.

Put some broccoli, cut into florets onto a paper lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake at 180c for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime mix another slosh of olive oil with lemon zest, the juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon of toasted almonds (or pinenuts) and salt and pepper.  When the broccoli is  nicely roasted toss it with the mix and finish with a handful of  grated parmesan. 

My vanilla essence is coming on well.

The first Japonica blooms