A fig or two and some lamb

I have had a couple of figs on my small tree that I planted a couple of years ago.  I am always pleased when I can get a new tree through the summer without it dying of thirst or heat exhaustion.  There are lots of things in the veggie garden at the moment..

Garlic shooting

Baby brussel sprouts

I think it is time for the tomatoes to come out..

I planted some horseradish a few months ago so I dug some up to see how it was going..

Once peeled you can put them in the food processor and chop finely with a couple of tablespoons of water before adding some vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar to make a sauce consistency.  I honestly do not know how anyone did this before the advent of the food processor because when you whizz it it is so pungent that it stings your eyes.  It seems to settle down when you add the vinegar.  Can't wait to have some roast beef to try it.

As you can see it is still pretty dry here.  We really need another rain before winter sets in.

Rams resting from active duty

The Humble Shepherd (husband...self-titled) says I don't have enough lamb recipes on here.  It was the purpose of the blog in the first place, but I seem to get distracted with other things.  I needed to use the last of the quince harvest so I did this:
I marinated a well seasoned and butterflied leg of lamb in
2 tblsp pomegranate molasses
2 tblsp olive oil
1 teasp ground cumin
a crushed clove of garlic

for a couple of hours.  Peeled and cored a quince and cut it into eighths.  Put that in the baking dish and placed the lamb on top.

I  roasted it in the roasting oven of the Aga (about 200c)  for about 1 1/4 hours.  The pomegranate molasses can get a bit scorched so it would be best to turn the oven down to 180c after about 15 minutes.  If it is getting dark you can cover it with some foil.   After spooning off the fat, I deglazed the pan with a spoonful of quince jelly.  Serve the quinces on top of the lamb.

Finally....

..a day in the office.  There literally has not been a spare second in the last few weeks.  Although I haven't been blogging, it doesn't mean there hasn't been loads of cooking going on.  Look at these beautiful apples we got from our friend's apple orchard over near Penola a couple of weeks ago..

I have been trying to use up all the tomatoes before I pull the plants out.  This has been a favourite breakfast..

and I have been making tomato soup, which is perfect with pesto and shavings of parmesan cheese.

There were loads of quinces, some of which I slow roasted in the Aga

I just sprinkled them with a couple of tablespoons of sugar, drizzled them with a bit of honey, poured over about 1/2 cup of  verjuice, added two cinnamon sticks and two strips of lemon peel.  I then covered the dish with foil and stuck it in the simmer oven of the Aga until I remembered I'd put them there which was actually the next morning.  The juices became almost jelly-like.

I picked up all the windfalls and put them in the fridge as it would be a couple of weeks before I could use them.  I finally got around to making quince jelly last week and it wouldn't set.  A bit of googling revealed that you shouldn't put  quinces in the fridge if you want to make jelly.  Bit of a waste, but now I know and so do you.

We are expecting some cold weather this weekend so here is an easy soup to keep you warm and nourished.

VEGETABLE SOUP

This is also an effective way to use up any leftover veg hanging around in the fridge.

Soak about a cup of soup mix or pearl barley in two cups of water for about 6 hours or overnight. 

Saute a chopped onion in olive oil.  Add a crushed clove of garlic and any chopped vegetables you like:  leeks, carrots, celery, potato, parsnip, pumpkin, you can't really go wrong.  Stir for a few minutes then add the drained and rinsed soup mix, chicken stock to cover and either a bay leaf or a sprig of rosemary.  If you have a rind of parmesan cheese, add this too.

Simmer for an hour (I did this in the simmer oven of the Aga) then add any green veg that doesn't need long to cook, such as peas, chopped broccoli, zucchini, beans or spinach.  Simmer until the green vegetables are cooked.  Fish out the bay, rosemary and parmesan.

Serve in bowls with shavings of parmesan, a swirl of olive oil and some toasted ciabatta.  Then go and light the fire.

A fine day out

Well, when I say fine, I didn't mean the weather.

I, like my friend over at Kelly Green, had the good fortune last Monday to visit the gardens of interior designer, Stuart Rattle, and landscape designer, Paul Bangay as a fundraiser for a local kindergarten.  The weather was not ideal - it rained, it hailed, it shone (briefly, just before we got on the bus to go home), but what a treat it was to see those gardens at the peak of their autumn flourish.

Michael, Stuart Rattle's partner,  bounced onto the bus, dripping, and gave us a quick talk about their garden before we braved the rain and scuttled into the cosy kitchen for morning tea.  Stuart has a charming and interesting garden, in which he clearly has done much of the work. His passion is evident and Michael's knowledge of the huge variety of plants was extensive.

It was actually hailing when we got to Paul Bangay's garden, which is newer and also very interesting. There were miles of tapestry hedge...

the ubiquitous box,

pleached hornbeams,

a flourishing veggie garden,

and a lovely view.

It was generally very structured and had lots of garden rooms and over time will probably grow into the landscape a bit more.  I think I liked this spot the best

which was a bit more open and flowing and suited the country landscape, with the towering gums in the background.

All in all a wonderful day which was beautifully organised, and I have returned home inspired to get into the garden.

Autumn

Dear readers, I have been neglecting you.  I have been trying to finish this post for about a week.  I think this blog is becoming a "less is more" scenario.  We just seem to bounce from one busy week to the next, without a breather in between.  Since I was last here we have had a group visiting the garden...

This was the little stall of goodies we set up

been to Singapore to participate in a big food Expo with our lamb..

had school holidays and a houseful for Easter..

Flowers ready to go up to the bedrooms

There was food to be cooked and I did the usual staples, raspberry jam, pesto, chocolate ice cream and I poached quinces and made quiches.  We ate slow cooked lamb and a wing rib of beef with yorkshire puddings..

and had a lovely paddock picnic on Sunday, using our new barbeque plate..

Of course there were toasted marshmallows

and an Easter egg hunt,

long walks

and bowls of soup.

But that all seems like ages ago.  Since then there have been bonfires

and a lovely lunch with friends from Melbourne under the oak tree....

We had some beautiful lamb and some salads, one of which is an oldie but a goodie, and I was asked for the recipe.

BROWN RICE SALAD

I think I first saw this in a school fundraising cookbook and have seen it several times since.  There are a million variations, just use your imagination.

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 red capsicum, finely diced

1 cup currants

1/4 cup verjuice

1 cup cashews, toasted (or slivered almonds are good too)

1 cup sunflower seeds

A couple of handfuls of whichever fresh herbs you like (parsley, coriander and mint are good)

Dressing:

2/3 cup sunflower oil

2 tblsp soy sauce

3 tblsp lemon juice

The original recipe doesn't do this, but I soak the currants in the verjuice for about 15 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Drain the currants and add the verjuice to the dressing, before mixing the dressing in with the salad.  Sprinkle a few herbs over the top.

Gardens

Sorry that I haven't been giving you my undivided attention lately.  There's been a bit on.  I've been flipping pancakes at the Port Fairy Folk Festival for the school.  Here's our little tent.

The pancakes are famous.  There are people who seek us out year after year at the Folkie.  And why wouldn't they?

It wasn't really a tough gig, here was the view from our tent...music to cook to.

I've been at the school helping with the Kitchen Garden program, which I thoroughly enjoy.

One of the heritage apple varieties in the school garden

Last weekend I helped a friend at her open garden and fundraising event which was very busy but we raised lots of money for Care Australia.  Next weekend I have a group coming to look at my garden, a terrifying prospect as we have a bit to do to get it into shape. What it does mean is that I get a bit of assistance from the husband (a man, a chainsaw, tools: is it worrying that this is what I wish for most??!).

It has been desperately dry so it has been hard to keep the water up to the garden.   There aren't many flowers so I'm crossing my fingers that the roses will come out and we'll have some autumn foliage.   I do find that mulch hides a multitude of untended weeds.

 So there is much to do this week and you probably won't hear from me.  

But my halo, as one friend observed, is positively sparkling

A little rain

You will not believe this.  Whilst much of northern Victoria and 75% of New South Wales are practically underwater, it is still incredibly dry here.  Here is a photo I took last week.  The sheep have gathered in a circular formation because we are feeding beans out to them to supplement the feed in the paddocks.

I know I'm always going on about rain.  On the land it can make or break your year: it can mean holiday or no holiday, going ahead with house rennos or not, being able to pay school fees or not.  I just hope that after the floods subside, that the country will flourish, and help those affected recover from more than ten years of drought.

In less weighty matters, look at the lovely apples on the tree.  And I take it back what I said about the tomatoes, they are coming thick and fast now, I'll soon be able to make sauce and relish.....

We did have some rain last Friday night and woke up on Saturday morning to no power, which goes beyond not having lights, stove or technology (we couldn't download the Saturday papers!).  It meant no water pressure (no pump), and no phones as mobiles don't work in the house.  Oh the silence.  It didn't come back on until lunch time.  There wasn't much rain, just enough to give me a few day's reprieve from watering.

We discovered this little fellow in a tree about five metres away from the house...

the dog sat and stared at it for hours..

He was gone the next day and hasn't been seen since.  Does anyone else find that bananas these days go from this

to this in ABOUT FIVE MINUTES??

I have been making frozen banana ice cream (just bung chopped banana in the freezer for a couple of hours then whizz in the food processor...it is surprisingly good), muffins for the lunch box and banana cake.  If you are not in the mood for cooking just put them (whole, unpeeled) in a plastic bag and freeze them for a later date.  They will only be good for cakes or muffins.

BANANA CAKE

1/2 cup sultanas

1 tblsp golden syrup

170g butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 teasp vanilla essence

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 3/4 cups SR flour

1 teasp bicarb soda

Line a loaf tin with baking paper.  Preheat the oven to 180c.

Put the sultanas in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer for 5 minutes.  Strain off the water and add the golden syrup to the sultanas.  Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well, then add bananas and buttermilk.  Sift flour and bicarb soda and fold in gently.  Stir in the sultanas.  (Add a bit more milk or buttermilk if the mix looks dry).

Pour into prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack.

Fickle autumn weather

This was the haul of tomatoes I picked on Monday.  The bushes are loaded with green tomatoes that just won't ripen, but two days of 38 degrees seemed to get them going.  I don't think I'll get too many this week as it's forecast to be cool.  Today it is 20 degrees and blowing a gale.  I still haven't got enough to make sauce or relish, but I am prepared to be patient.  Is anyone else having the same problem?

I saw a Jamie Olive recipe for plum sorbet with sloe gin and thought I should try it.  Sloes don't grow around here, but they do in Tasmania.  I would love to grow some so I could make my own sloe gin for hunting expeditions.  Instead I used Vinocotto, which was a perfect substitute.

PLUM SORBET WITH VINOCOTTO Serves 4-6

1kg of blood plums

80g castor sugar

50ml vinocotto 

Cut the plums in half and remove the stones.  Put them in a plastic bag and put in the freezer for about 2 hours.

 About 5 minutes before you start, get the plums out to thaw a bit.  Put them in the  food processor with the sugar and vinocotto and whizz until smooth, adding more sugar or vinocotto if you think it needs it.

I then put it into a container and back in the freezer.

Take it out about 5-10 minutes before you intend to serve it.  

Serve with a some berries, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or with some thin ginger biscuits, or just on its own.