Pumpkin

I think I like Pumpkin for the spices that go with it.  Cumin, cinnamon, star anise, these are the best winter warmers.


Buy the whole Pumpkin and make roast Pumpkin and use the rest for various soaps.  It freezes really well.


Roasting the pumkin:

• Take the top off and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits
• Add spice, S&P, dates, raises and rice and water, put the top back
• Roast in the oven for an 1hour - until the rice is cooked
• Cut it open into peaces and serve with the rice.  Perhaps grill the peaces to create some nice caramelized sides

 Soup:

• Scoop out remaining pumpkin, add stock, toasted cumin,garlic, fried off onion, milk or cream
• Boil for 15 minutes

One large pumpkin makes 10+ portions of soup and roasted pumpkin for 4.  


Cost: 14 portions for $3 in season or 25cents per portion - with some toast - perhaps 50 cents per meal

Red Cabbage

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1/2 red cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 Spanish onions, sliced
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, grated
• 60ml (1/4 cup) red wine vinegar
• 3 tbs brown sugar

Optional

• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) red wine
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• bay leaf
  
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 piece orange peel
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Place all ingredients in an ovenproof casserole dish with a lid. Stir to combine, cover and bake for 2 hours. Check that all liquid has been absorbed (if not, return to the oven, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes).

Roast Root Veggies

Anything you like, just know the relative cooking times.

Potatoes take the longest, with Turnip and parsnip so par boil these
Pumpkin and sweet potato are next
Then onions and Halumi cheese towards the end

Add sea salt, olive oil, rosemary

Roast until golden on hot,

cabbage ummm

Not my favourate normally, but

Cabbage with

• butter and caraway seas (roast caraway seas and steam the cabbage for 2 minutes, drain well).
• Apple and cinnanon are also good (again steam cabbage for 2 minutes)
• Butter and Almonds
  

Fennel Salad

For dressing:

• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar
• salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

The salad:

large fennel bulb - sliced

large oranges

large grapefruit

almonds or Cashews sliced

other optons -

1 small bunch of fresh mint leaves

apple slice

red onion

What does well with Mushroom?

Mushroom is umami.

Things that go well

• Basil
• Thyme
• Cream / Sour cream
• Fennel
• Onions or Garlic as usual
• Spinach
• Cheese - Goats Cheese
  

Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel

Roasted Tomatoes and Fennel salad

• 20 red small tomatoes (Roasted on a low heat for 1 hour with olive oil and salt)
  
• 1 head fennel, shaved
• 2 ounces red onion, shaved
• 4 teaspoons basil, chiffonade
• olive oil
• red wine vinegar

Place in Alternating colours , Drizzle with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. Garnish with red onion and basil.

Fried Tomatoes (This is a goody)

Ingredients
Tomatoes -6 Large
Flour-3 Table Spoons
Sugar-1.5 Teaspoons
Butter-4 Table Spoons
Milk-1.5 Cups
Meat Sauce-1 teaspoon - Thick
Mustard-1.5 Teaspoons
Instructions
Stem and Halve the tomatoes. Combine the Flour 3/4 teaspoon salt, pepper and coat the tomatoes
Saute the tomato halves in butter until golden and tender.
Take out all but 2 of the tomato halves
To the balance add 2 tablespoons of flour, 3/4 teaspoon of salt and sugar, meat sauce and mustard
Cook until creamy and the 2 tomato halves have disintegrated
Pour over the balance of the tomatoes and Serve

Salads - Carbs Bad, Salads - Good

Things to add to Lettice to make it interesting:

• Pine Nuts - remember to always toast them
• Any other kind of Nut - rembmer to always toast - some at healther than others.
• Fruit - very underrated - Oranges, Peaches, Mango..... go crazy....
• Water Cress (Nice and peppery - much better in season, but always good.
• Mushrooms (Go for the blue ones or Chanterelles)
• Cheese - thin slices of Parmesan.....
• Dressings - see separate posting

French Beans and Thyme

Quick and easy "comfirt" green beans
Ingredients

Butter -25 g
Onion -1 med
Bacon - streaky- 4 rashers
French beans -700 g
Thyme - 5 ml, fresh chopped
Salt and Pepper

Instructions
Melt butter and add the onion and bacon. Cook until onion turns. Add the beans and thyme and 90 ml of cold water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until beans are tender but crisp.

Source - Good housekeeping

Curried Tomatoes

Ingredients
Onion - 1 Small Sliced
Butter - 2 table spoon
Green Pepper - 1/2 small
Sugar - 1 table spoon
Cornstarch - 1 table spoon
Cold Water to Blend Cornstarch
Curry Powder - 1 teaspoon
Lemon pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Chicken Stock - 1/4 Cup
Tomatoes - 4 Medium

Directions
Saute Onions and Curry and Butter, until onions are tender. Add the Tomatoes, green pepper and cook for 2-5 Minutes. Stir in Lemon pepper, sugar, broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend Cornstarc with cold Water and stir in.

Source - Bob and Womans Day

Great Veggies include

• Soya bean pods boiled until tender (5 Minutes) and served still poded with sea salt
• Brussel sprouts boiled and served with butter (Helen detests this but I really like it hence it is included here!)
• Grilled Mushrooms - The largest mushrooms you can find (Minimum of 6" (15 cm)), grilled on Barbeque with butter
• Pepper halves, filled with Olives, tomatoes and Parmesan cheese and grilled on the barbecue
• Creaming Fried Tomatoes
• Curried Tomatoes
• Potatoes (in almost any form) - These are my favourate Veggies and perhaps food
• Baked with Butter and Marmite and a crispy skin
• Mashed with Butter and Cream
• Baked Potatoes sliced with rosemary and butter and barbecued
• Veggy and New Potato Salad
• New Potatoes with Tarragon cream (Potatoes, spring onions, sour cream and tarragon)