French Green Peppercorn Sauce

- green pepper (dried unripe fruit)

One day at the Cygnet Market a young Frenchman came up to me and asked if, amongst all the beautiful, fresh spices I had displayed on the stall, were there any green peppercorns.
I replied that I did not have them as I only had dried spices, (not the little tins of pickled, fresh, green peppercorns I was familiar with).

He assured me that in France people make a beautiful sauce with ground, dried green peppercorns….. of course I asked him for the recipe and told him I would have the dried green peppercorns he requested, at the next market, if I could find them.

Well, find them I did and make the sauce I did. Typically simple yet unique and delicious, as French foods often are, I have written out the young Frenchman’s recipe below and hope you will try it. He recommended we have it with a grilled piece of meat so I used local chops (killed and hung for 2 weeks at the Cradoc Abattoir).

French Green Peppercorn Sauce

(recipe from Romain, a local French customer)

Serves 6 (if the cook can resist sampling too much!)

125g butter

125g Four Leaf 85% flour

Make a roux : Dissolve the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the flour.
Stir until the mixture forms a smooth paste which leaves the sides and base of pan cleanly.
Cook for a minimum of 2 minutes, stirring, to cook out the taste of the flour.

Gradually add 5ooml good stock (I used the bones from the meat from the abattoir to make a stock) until the sauce is thick and smooth.

Reduce the heat and stir in :

1 heaped tsp freshly and finely ground green peppercorns

1/2 tsp salt (to taste and depending on the salt in your stock)

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar (a dash more, to taste, if you like)

Serve as a sauce with meat / or drizzle over roasted, steamed or mashed potatoes

Bon appetit!

Raspberry Quinoa Muffins

This is my first foray into cooking with quinoa flour. Quinoa is 100% gluten free and it seems that quinoa flour can be directly substituted for wheat flour in baking recipes. Not only is this useful for people unable to have gluten in their diets, but, as quinoa is such a healthy and delicious grain, more or less untouched since ancient times, I am sure it will be used by many, especially now that it is grown here in Tasmania.

Makes 12 muffins

Heat the oven to 180C fan forced

2 cups quinoa flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp bicarb. soda

pinch salt

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla essence

1/3 cup light oil (I used coconut)

2/3 cup frozen raspberries

• Sift flour, bicarb. soda, salt and stir in the sugar.
• Beat the eggs and mix with the milk, oil and vanilla.
• Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry, only until combined.
• Fold in the raspberries.
• Place spoons of mixture into a muffin tin lined with paper patty pans.
• Bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 160C and bake another 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to rest about 10 minutes.

We enjoyed them warm, with some creme fraiche I made but yoghurt would also be wonderful.

What amazing texture; so soft and just perfect[/caption]

I am experimenting with recipes from 'Cooking with Quinoa' by Rena Patten

One of my favourite books is The Fruit and Nut Book by Gail Duff.
My edition was published in 1990.

The book contains wonderful information about nearly one hundred fruits, nuts and seeds.

There are also about 200  recipes, designed to enhance out the flavour of the main fruit or
 nut.

Loquats are in season here in Adelaide and most folks do not know what to do with them.

Here is a recipe I have adapted from Gail's book.


Chickpea, Rice and Loquat Salad

2 cups of cooked chickpeas

2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups of peeled and sliced loquats

Mix together.


Salad dressing

1/2 cup of olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

salt and ground black pepper

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

2 sliced spring onion (optional)

Chopped chilli to taste

Chopped coriander to taste

Mix all dressing ingredients together and stir through peas, rice and loquats.

This salad is also great with tomatoes or diced orange if you do not have loquats.

Marinated Fruit-in-alcohol Drinks

Cassis

5oog black currants

500g sugar

10 fresh black currant leaves

750ml bottle brandy

Crush currants and leaves.

Add sugar and brandy.

Pour into wide mouthed jar and shake to dissolve sugar.

Shake now and then for a month or more.

Strain and bottle.

I sip it neat, in  a shot glass but its easy to drink more!

(From my elderly neighbour, Janny)

Raspberry Ratafia

3 cups raspberries

1/3 cup sugar

750ml vodka

6 lemon verbena leaves, crushed

Into a large, wide-mouthed jar put the raspberries and sugar and stir gently to crush a little.

Add the verbena leaves and the vodka.

Leave in a warm room for 4 weeks or more, shaking now and then

Strain and bottle.

I sip it neat in a shot glass.

(from a beautiful book called Plum Gorgeous)

Limoncello

1 litre vodka

peel of 12 large lemons

equal parts sugar and water

Into a large wide-mouthed jar put the peels and pour over the vodka.

Shake now and then for 3 months.

Strain.

In a pan, heat a cup of water and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Let cool completely.

Add the syrup gradually to the limoncello, tasting as you go, just until its how you think it should be!

Leave again for a week or more. May need straining again.

Most recipes have much more volume of syrup but I prefer it like this.

(From my friend Deb at Nirvana Farm)

Buckwheat Pancakes with hot, buttered walnuts

In Adelaide I used to love going to The Pancake Kitchen, which was open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is still there and not much has changed, which is wonderful because some of their concoctions are superb. This was always one of my favourites, and is called “It” because it is the ultimate!

(Serves 4)

1 cup buckwheat flour
¼  cup 85% flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp raw /demerara sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup plain yoghurt
½ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
Sunflower oil
Walnuts
Butter
Bananas, sliced (optional)

1. Mix flours and baking powder in a medium bowl and add sugar. Make a well in the centre and pour in combined eggs, yoghurt, milk and vanilla; whisk until smooth.
2. Into a warm pan put the butter and a dash of oil. When frothy add the walnuts and toss around until hot and toasted.
3. Heat a frying pan over medium heat; oil lightly. Pour ½ cup of the mixture into pan; cook a few minutes on the first side, placing the banana slices on the top side before turning and finishing cooking.
4. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make 4 pancakes in total.
5. Top with the walnuts
and serve with organic maple syrup and plain yoghurt.

Walnut and parsley pesto

from Hugh Impossibly-long-name, River Cottage, Sept 2012

Perfect with pasta or as a dip
Serves 4.

100g walnuts
1 fat garlic clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
A handful of grated mature cheddar or Parmesan or a combination
A large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
About 1/2 cup good olive oil or sunflower oil
Juice of ½ lemon or more
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blend walnuts, garlic, cheese and parsley together, then begin trickling in the oil, while the processor runs. Stop when you have a nice purée. Taste and season as necessary with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

When serving with pasta you may need to add some hot water from cooking the pasta, to help combine the pesto with the pasta.

Store in the fridge.

Roasted Potatoes with Indian and Australian Spices

Serves  8
3 Tbl oil
1½ kgs small red potatoes, halved (about 8 cups)
1¾ tsp black mustard seeds
A good pinch ground Tas. pepperberry
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
½ cup chopped fresh coriander
½ cup chopped fresh mint
A pinch of ground lemon myrtle leaf
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
8 lime wedges

1.    Preheat oven to 180°.
2.    Combine some of the oil and the potatoes, tossing to coat. Set aside.
3.    Heat remaining oil and mustard seeds in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook 1½ minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Reduce heat to medium-low.
4.    Add ginger, pepperberry and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, turmeric and Garam Masala; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add spice mixture to potatoes, tossing to coat. Arrange potato mixture in a single layer in a baking dish.
5.    Bake at 180° for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browned, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Stir in coriander, mint, and juice. Serve with lime wedges.