Damper

Mark burnt a couple of pallets down at the back yard fire place we have (It is made from some old 4x4 wheel rims and works a treat). I know my daughter in-law will be a little unsettled by that as she has been hinting at pallet furniture for her front deck for ages and Mark has yet to come up with the goods. However, he had a rip roaring fire out there over the weekend and decided to try his hand at damper making again, using a caste iron camp oven he found and cleaned up. Above is the damper on the ashes slowly cooking. He has a new recipe and I think it is a bit better than the one he has been using. Unfortunately he is still burning the base of the damper and has yet to perfect the art of damper cooking. I must admit though this has been his best damper yet, very tasty with cheese mixed through and a lovely golden crust on the top, it was a little more golden brown than what we would like on the base but delicious none the less.

Winter Breakfast

I must admit although I am not very fond of winter I do love porridge in the mornings. This morning I have nuts, banana, mesquite powder, chia seeds and honey. Yum yum in my tum tum. Tomorrow I may have macadamia seeds with coconut or maybe dates will see how I feel.

Coconut Lime Steamed Puddings

This was an absolute surprise. I have a glut of limes at the moment so making Indian Lime Pickles, Lime Marmalade and anything else lime I come across. This is one of the recipes I thought I would give a try and it was amazing. It is a Donna Hay recipe and you can never go wrong with anything in her books, though I must admit this is one of her extra ordinary recipes. I served it with home made vanilla yogurt which was a great pairing with the tart fresh lime and the sweet coconut. Below is the recipe 

Steamed Coconut Puddings with Lime

175 gm unsalted butter

85gm caster sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup of self raising flour, sifted

100gm of desiccated coconut

Lime Syrup

1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

3 tablespoons of lime juice

rind of 2 limes, shredded

3 cardamom pods, bruised

Place Butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat till light and creamy. Add eggs a little at a time and beat well between each addition.  Fold in flour and coconut and pour into six 3/4 cup well greased ramekins.

Cover mixture with small circles of greased paper or baking paper. Place in a steamer and steam puddings over rapidly simmering water for around 40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.  

To make syrup, place sugar, water lime juice, rind and cardamom pods in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Allow syrup to simmer for a few minutes or until it has thickened slightly.

To serve invert puddings onto serving plates and pour over lime syrup. Serve with cream, ice cream or my personal favourite vanilla yogurt.

Vegetables Romonie

I love this recipe and never tire of it. It is the one thing I buy cabbage for as I am not a big fan I find the taste a tad too strong and I always have wind after eating it. However, this is a great winter warmer real comfort food and worth the wait. Below is the recipe so give it a try and enjoy.

Vegetable Romanie

Prep: 30 mins

Serves: 4 large servings
Cooking time: 35-45 mins

1/2 cup of macaroni

2 fist size potatoes, thinly sliced

1 large onion sliced

4 tablespoons of Olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon of dried basil

2 teaspoons of cumin

125gm of pumpkin, thinly sliced

2 zucchini, thinly sliced 

2 sticks of celery, sliced

1 carrot sliced

125 gms of broccoli, cut into florets

1 cup of cabbage, shredded

3 large cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup of sour cream

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese

Paprika

Cook pasta until al dente, drain and set aside. Preheated oven to 200 degree Celsius. In an ovenproof saucepan heat oil and cook onion, potatoes, herbs and spices on a moderate heat until onion is golden and potatoe is starting to soften. Add pumpkin, celery, zucchini, carrot and broccoli and sauté for a few minutes. Stir in cabbage  and allow to cook for a few more minutes adding water if needed. 

Mix sour cream, Parmesan, and garlic together season with salt and pepper. Remove veggies from heat and stir in cream mixture and the macaroni. Top with grated cheddar cheese, sprinkle with paprika place the lid on and pop in the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes(test the vegies making sure they are cooked) removing the lid for the last 10 mins to brown the top. Enjoy.

Cream Cheese

Here is the resulting cream cheese made from kefir it is delicious, soft and creamy with a little bit of tartness and very good for you too.  

I made stuffed mushrooms with these beautiful large mushies I bought at the local markets.  Yum yum with baked potato and kumera what a treat.  Below is the recipe 

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 quantity of cream cheese or 1 packet of cream cheese, softened

1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon of dried dill leaves or 1 teaspoon of fresh dill

1 egg yolk

6 large field mushrooms

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Method

Wipe down mushrooms to clean any compost that may be on them.  Remove stalks and chop finely.  Place the cream cheese, stalks, garlic, dill, parsley and egg yolk in a bowl and mix well.  Divide the mixture between the mushrooms and bake in a hot oven for about 15-20 minutes.  Note: thyme or other herbs may be used instead of dill and smaller mushrooms may be used and presented as finger food, enjoy.

Kefir Creme Chees

Here I am making another batch of kefir creme cheese.  It has been very successful and tastes wonderful as well as being very, very good for you.  I will make a dip from this lot the previous batch I stuffed mushrooms with and they were amazing. No photos of the mushrooms as it was a little too dark.  Stay tuned to see what other kefir kitchen capers I get up to, maybe something sweet next? 

Home Made Pasta

The first and second attempt at pasta making the ones on the right kept breaking the second lot turned out a lot better.  I think it may have had something to do with using wholemeal flour.  Breaks apart a lot easier though it did taste amazing and can't wait to make another batch on Friday before I go down the coast to see my boy for his birthday.

Here I am with my new pasta machine I love it best investment I have made since the food dehydrator. I think I need to have a big pasta making session so I can eat some freeze some and dry some.  Can't wait doesn't take much to get me excited now days.