Showing posts with label vegetables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetables. Show all posts

Monday, September 10, 2012

Organic Empire


A Regional Providore to inspire us all. Whether you are interested in supporting your local farmers, ordering a foodbox, learning how to cook, eating organically or looking for an alternative to the big supermarkets Organic Empire has it all.

And if you want some re-use, recycling inspiration then look no further.

If your community is looking to set up local food projects this is a great place to start for ideas. And if you live in the neighborhood, drop in and say hello.

Listen to the conversation with Angela for yourself.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Me-Healthy Farm

Another example of the Regional Providore's that provides both a service and an inspiration, Me-Healthy Farm is located at 147 Upper Orara Road in Karangi.Open each Friday and Sunday from 10 am - 2 pm Me-Healthy Farm is a great place to get your fruit and vegetables, herbs and nuts as well as seeds and seedlings. You can also stop by the cafe, check out the gift shop, meet the farm animals and tour the vegetable garden.

Like Me-Healthy Farm's Facebook page to find out what is in season, check out the photos, keep up with the news of the Farm and, in the next few months, discover information on the up-coming workshops.

Got extra produce for sale, Me-Healthy are also looking for more farmers and growers to join in the fun.

Sam joined Pearl in the Passionfruit and Chilli kitchen for a yarn about Me-Healthy Farm. You can listen in here.

Image from Me-Healthy Farm's Facebook page

Monday, July 30, 2012

One Last Pumpkin Recipe


Pumpkin, Chickpea and Other Bits Salad

2-3 C pumpkin, cut into bite sized pieces
2 T oil
2 C chickpeas, cooked and drained
1/2 - 1 C cashews or pinenuts, toasted
100 g feta
1 Spanish onion, thinkly sliced
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Couple of handfuls of English spinach leaves

Dressing
1/4 C honey
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 - 2 T orange or lemon juice
1 I extra virgin olive oil
Very finely diced chilli, to taste (optional)

Roast pumpkin in a moderate oven 180C in little olive oil until cooked. Cool

Combine pumpkin, chickpeas, cashews, onion and parsley in a large bowl. Mix to combine.

Combine dressing ingredients in a jug or bowl, mix & dress salad.

Place in a serving dish & crumble fetta over salad.

Note: as this is a salad, feel welcome to adjust anything to taste. I have also made it using sundried tomatoes, adding chargrilled eggplant and zucchini or even wrapping up the salad ingredients in a filo, baking and using the dressing as a sauce.

Image: "Little Pumpkin" by SpunkOnAStick

Cheddar Pumpkin Pie

1 pie crust (see recipe below)
2 t butter
1 t oil, plus extra for the roasting pan
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3/4 C+ pumpkin and other vegetables (sweet potato, potato or whatever else you have to hand), cut into pieces
2 eggs
1/2 C cream
1/2 t dried thyme (or other herbs, fresh or dried, that compliment your vegetable selection)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 C grated cheese

Heat oven to 190 C.

Put pumpkin and vegetables in roasting pan with a little oil and cook until softened. Remove. Allow to cool a little then mash, puree or blend.

Meanwhile, melt 1 t butter with the 1 t oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 10 - 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and beginning to brown. Season with salt and set aside.

Beat the pumpkin and eggs together in a medium bowl. Add the cream and herbs. Season to taste.

Spread the cooked onion evenly over the base of the pie crust. Sprinkle over the cheese.Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cheese and onion. Dot with little pieces of the remaining butter and bake for 30 - 40 Minutes until a knife comes out clean. Can be served, hot, cold or at room temperature.

Note: depending on the amount of vegetables you use, you may need to add a bit more milk or an extra egg.

Savory Tart Crust
2/3 C plain flour
1/3 C SR flour
1/2 wholemeal flour1/2 t salt
125 g butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
1/4 C cold water

This is enough dough to fill a  9" pie tin.

Mix the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until it looks like bread crumbs. Place in a large bowl. If you don't have a food processor, sift the flours and salt into a bowl and rub in butter until the same result is achieved.

In a separate bowl beat the egg yolk and water together and then mix into the flour mixture to form a dough. Form the dough into a ball and then turn onto a floured surface. Flatten into a disc shape and then refrigerate for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 200 C. Roll out the dough to the suitable size, place in pan and fold over the edges to create a double crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.

Blind bake for 10 minutes, remove the weights, prick pastry with a fork and bake for another 10 minutes

Based on an original recipe from "Pumpkin - A Super Food For All 12 Months of the Year" by DeeDee Stovel but include the all of d. Tronsons changes. You can hear d. on Passionfruit and Chilli here.

Image: "pumpkin patch" by ~ecil

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Pumpkin Damper

300 g pumpkin, cubed, steamed, cooled, mashed
1/4 C milk at room temperature
1 egg, whisked
3 C SR flour
2 T brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
80 g butter

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Combine the first three ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, sugar and spices. Rub in butter. Mix in pumpkin mixture.

Knead 4 - 5 times, shape into a big round and place on a baking sheet. Score the top of the damper into eight sections. Bake in over for 25 - 30 minutes or until cooked.

Notes: you can always add more cinnamon and nutmeg if desired. Reduce the amount of sugar to create a more savory pumpkin damper.

Hear Leigh share the recipe here.

Image: "pumpkin patch" by shadowtree

Monday, July 9, 2012

More Than The Humble Spud

Dorrigo potates have a well deserved reputation for quality - and it is even more exciting when they are organic. Ken Lewis from Stringbark Farm at Dundurrabin, just outside of Dorrigo.

Do you know which varieties are 'waxy', which are 'floury' and which are the all rounders? Do you know when to use which variety of potato where. This site is a great starting point, and this one includes a few more varieties.

For more information on growing your own potatoes, or to order some potato seed, call Ken 02 6657 8255 or see him at the local growers markets between Bellingen and Armidale.

Image: "Potato" by Jacqou

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Camden Public School Garden


A school with an award winning garden helping students to connect with where their food comes from, the taste sensations that result and a range of environmental activities. no wonder they are award winning!

Swing by the schools website for more details on what they are doing that includes, but goes beyond, just teh three R's.

Check out the chat with Penny Love-Lipinski here.

BBCC Ultimate Pumpkin Soup

4 C cooked pureed pumpkin
1 tin coconut cream
1/3 bottle BBCC Fiery Coconut Chilli Sauce
4 shallots
1 T freshly grated ginger
1 C chopped red onion
1 T butter
1/4 C mild chili sauce (optional)
1 C water
2 cubes chicken or vegetable stock cubes, crumbled
1 C milk
Yogurt or Sour cream (to swirl)

Saute shallots, ginger and red onion gently in butter. Add water, stock cubes and milk and mix through. Add pumpkin, coconut cream and sauces. Heat through. Season to taste.

Serve with a swirl of yogurt or sour cream.

Recipe supplied by Byron Bay Chilli Company

Byron Bay Chilli Company


Surely one of the best chilli sauce makers in the world - with an almost complete set of international awards to prove it - Byron bay Chilli's are also home to salsa and corn chips. Drop by their website to check out your local suppliers, buy some delights online or check out a great range of recipes. And if you would like someone else to do the cooking, and you are in Byron Bay, swing by OzyMex - it is just by the main roundabout, you can't miss it!

For listeners closer to Bellingen, swing by and meet John and co, have a taste and a chat at the weekend's Sawtell Chilli Festival. And if you aren't a big chilli fan, drop by anyway as Sawtell's First Avenue explodes with food, entertainment and color.

Roast Fennel with Breadcrumbs, Parsley and Parmesan

2 large fennel bulbs
100 ml olive oil
4 T water
1 T butter
1/2 C roughly chopped parsley
4 sprigs thyme
2 thick slices ciabatta
3 T freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 200 C.

Cut fennel vertically into wedges. Cook wedges in frypan in a little of the oil until browned. Add butter and water and for for another 3 minutes.

Put fennel and the stock it is cooking in into oven dish. Sprinkle over parsley and thyme. Rip up bread into chucks and scatter over fennel. Sprinkle over the rest of the oil, season to taste and sprinkle over Parmesan.

Roast for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Recipe supplied by Pete Bufo

Image: "Fennel" by Ewwiej

Bellingen High School Community Garden


Bellingen High School's Community Garden is an integral part of Bellingen. Located at the high school it enables students to both grown and cook their own food. After school hours it becomes a community space. Working bees are held every Sunday afternoon. No experience necessary. For more information, or to find out how you can get involved, check out their Facebook page.

Monday, May 28, 2012

What's Fresh In Bello This Week


Support your local growers and buy what is in season this week. Wherever you shop keep an eye out for local:

Apples - Golden delicious, Royal Gala, Pink Lady
Avocado
Banana - cavendish
Beans - green
Bok choi
Cabbage - drumhead
Capsicum - long green
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Garlic - small Russian, large Russian, purple/white
Ginger
Grapefruit - Ruby Red, Yellow
Kale - Red Russian
Kiwifruit
Lettuce
Limes
Mandarins
Mizuna
Mushrooms
Oranges - navel, valencia
Pak choi
Pears - green (Pearl, what are those brown ones called??)
Potato - sebago, sebago chats, Nicola, Red Bison
Pumpkin - jap, butternut, grey
Rhubarb
Shallots
Silverbeet
Sprouts
Sugar snap peas
Tatsoi
Turmeric
Turnip
Zucchini

Need a recipe for any of these ingredients?  Leave a comment.
Know of something we have missed? Please let us know.

List compiled with the help of bellofoodbox

Images: "avocado" by stepanvilleneuve, "mandarin" by dv-art, "Turnip" by Brutalion

Monday, May 14, 2012

Making Sauerkraut



We have all experienced a glut of pumpkins, tomatoes or zucchini and it becomes a made rush of cooking, freezing, pickling or finding a neighbor to take some off your hands before any got to waste. So what to do with a glut of cabbage ... have you thought of sauerkraut? It is a simple process to make, with a few techniques to master in the fermentation.

If you would also like to learn to make sauerkraut or have any questions about your batch, you can contact Rose on 65695048

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What's Fresh in Bello This Week


Support your local growers and buy what is in season this week. Wherever you shop keep an eye out for local:

Banana
Basil
Beans - green
Chillies - various
Chives
Cucumbers - lebanese, heirloom
Eggplant - finger, white
Finger limes
Garlic - Russian/giant, purple, white
Ginger
Guava
Jerusalem artichoke
Kiwifruit, golden
Limes
Mandarins
Mint
Mizuna
Mushrooms
Parsley
Potato - Sebago, Nicola, Red Bison
Pumpkin - Jap, Grey
Rosellas
Rosemary
Salad mix
Shallots
Sprouts
Sweet potato
Tamarillos
Tatsoi
Turmeric
Yacon
Zucchini

Need a recipe for any of these ingredients?  Leave a comment.
Know of something we have missed? Please let us know.

List compiled with the help of bellofoodbox

Image: Banana by sunshine-hair, golden kiwis by smileykiwi, pumpkin love by Phoeebs

Monday, April 23, 2012

Roast Tomato Pasta Bake


1 packet pasta, cooked according to directions on packet
800 g really ripe tomatoes
1 head garlic
1 onion, quartered
1 onion, diced
Oil or butter, for frying
400 g canned or cooked kidney beans
1 T tomato paste
About 1 T sugar (depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes)
Herbs of choice, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste


Cut the tomatoes in half horzontally and place in a baking dish making sure you salt the bottoms and the cut edge, with the quartered onion and garlic. Cook in a moderate over for about 30 minutes.Allow to cool and blend in a food processor until the desired consistency is achieved.

Meanwhile, fry off the diced onion in a little oil or butter until translucent - don't overcook. Add the drained kidney beans. Add the tomato paste and blended tomatoes. Add the sugar and season according to taste. Cook for about 20 minutes until well combined.

Image: Pasta by karma2014

Monday, April 2, 2012

What's Fresh in Bello This Week


Support your local growers and buy what is in season this week. Wherever you shop keep an eye out for local:

Avocado
Bananas
Basil
Beans
Capsicum
Carrots
Cherry guavas
Chillies
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Fuji apples
Garlic
Ginger
Guava
Jersualem artichoke
Lettuce
Limes
Macadamias
Mushrooms
Okra
Parsley
Pecans
Persimmons
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Rocket
Rosellas
Rosemary
Salad mix
Spring onions
Sprouts
Sweet potato
Yakon (ground apple - needs to be dug and then left to sweeten)

Need a recipe for any of these ingredients?  Leave a comment.
Know of something we have missed? Please let us know.

List compiled with the help of bellofoodbox

Image: "Corn" by photog-road; "Okra" by trumpetkid86; "Parlsey" by 1tera; "Red Hot Chillies" by snarayanank

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Bellingen Chillies

There is more to the world of chillis than the standard cayenne, or the burning mouth feel.

Bellingen Chillies is on a mission to introduce the palates of Australia to a range of tropical chillies ranging from the very sweet to the mildly warm and coming in all colours of the rainbow.

Grown organically in Brierfield Bellingen Chillies produces a wide range of pastes, smoked, marinated and dried products, all picked and packed weekly.

Products are available at the local markets or online and yes, they are very easy to eat.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Food Exchange Thursday


I headed down the Bellingen Food Exchange today - what a treat - so many conversations, much laughter and the food! The photo is just a sampling of what was on offer. Put in the diary for next time - 29 March.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Layered Tomato and Basil Salad


1 kg tomatoes
100 g pinenuts or macadamias, roasted
1 bunch basil
Lots of garlic, crushed or chopped very finely.
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
White balsamic vinegar

Slice tomatoes 1/4" thick and lay a third of them in a bowl. Salt. Sprinkle over a third of the pinenuts. Sprinkle over a third of the garlic. Season with pepper. Top with a third of the basil. Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used. At the end drizzle over olive oil and a splash of white balsamic vinegar. Do not stir. Refrigerate for about 2 hours. If you have time you can make the salad the night before.

Recipe by Pete Bufo

Image by Pearl

What's Fresh in Bello This Week


Support your local growers and buy what is in season this week. Wherever you shop keep an eye out for local:

Apples  - fuji, royal gala
Basil
Chillies
Cucumber - Lebanese
Eggplant
Garlic - premium Italian, Russian
Lettuce
Limes
Persimmon - astringent
Potatoes - chats, sebago, red skinned
Potkin
Pumpkin - jap, grey, butternut
Shallots
Sweet potato
Tumeric
Watermelon

Need a recipe for any of these ingredients?  Leave a comment.
Know of something we have missed? Please let us know.

List compiled with the help of bellofoodbox

Image from Inelegant Sufficiency