Christmas Eve

Here it is Christmas Eve already and it is hot! I have been up since 5am picking my second apricot tree to save the fruit from the birds and giving it a heavy prune at the same time. I have spent the week dealing with produce from my Trevatt apricot. So now I am onto the Moore Park Early apricot. Jars are full of chutney and jam. The dehydrator is full of apricots and now I have many many kilos more to deal with. That can wait until Boxing Day. The days are hot and dry and the garden requires a lot of watering. I am holding my breath as we are in drought conditions here and there may be water restrictions enforced early next year. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.  

How to Attract Birds into Your Garden

My new bird bath was delivered this morning along with 12 bales of pea straw to use as mulch for the front garden. Coen questioned why I needed another bird bath? I suppose for a teenager with no interest in the garden it was a reasonable question. Once again we are facing drought conditions here on the edge of the Wimmera. With no rain in urban areas there is no water for birds to access easily apart from the lake and wetland areas in the town and nearby dams are the only other source. As you can see from the photo I took on Sunday, water is not the only attraction. I never net my apricots as the trees are too large, so we have to be content with sharing the crop. Apples are a different matter.

I grow six different varieties of apples and if I don't net the trees, the birds ruin them while they are young and green like these. The Rainbow Lorikeets come annually, the week between Christmas and New Year. I have gardened here for over 35 years...I was only 20 when I started!  Rainbow Lorikeets are not endemic to this region. Years ago if you heard one in the garden, you would rush out to admire how pretty they are. Now the sound only means that they are out there 'eating'. I don't like having to net the apples as they do not ripen until March here and to me that is a long time to have nets on trees. My reasons are that unless you secure them well birds will actually become trapped in the nets. Once they realize that they are trapped they panic and become more wound up in the net. Last year I had to cut a  Rainbow Lorikeet out of one of the nets as it tried like mad to bite me! I also had to cut my neighbors cat out of the net as it was trying to take on a Wattle Bird. By the time the apples are ripe and we have had enough, I take the net off and leave fruit for the birds.

As you can see by the purple droppings on the branch, we shared the Mulberries with them. But there are also plums, pears, nectarines, peaches, crab apples, nashi pears persimmons and grapes that I will have to fend them off from. As for the two almond trees, they are almost bare already as the Crimson Rosella's have beaten the Yellow Tail Black Cockatoo's to them. But I am looking forward to seeing what other birds my new bird bath attracts. It is deep enough for the Magpies who turn up when I put the lawn sprinklers on the take a nice cool bath.     

Marinated Artichoke Hearts

I have an abundance of Artichokes at the moment, but I doubt that I will be using up this one any time soon. I have never seen actual thorns on them before and even the leaves have thorns on the edges!
Today I picked a large bucket of the much more friendly type and made up a jar of Marinated Artichoke Hearts. You can use them in salads, vegetarian pizza, pasta dishes and they are nice in a vegetarian lasagna. 

Marinated Artichoke Hearts
2 lemons
6-8 medium or 10-12 medium artichokes
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for bottling
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
Method
Finely grate the zest of the lemon and set aside. To make the lemon water, squeeze the juice of both lemons into a large bowl and add 8 cups of water. If you don't have surplus lemons use 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. To prepare the artichokes, cut off the top three quarters of each head and discard. Use a sharp paring knife to trim the bases and stems down to their pale centers. Scoop out and discard the hairy choke in the center, dunking the hearts into the lemon water as you work to prevent them from browning. Cut in quarters if large or half if they are small and soak in the lemon water, turning to ensure that they are fully immersed. If soaking for more that 15 minutes place a plate in the bowl to keep them submerged.
Combine reserved lemon zest with all remaining ingredients in a medium pot. Add the well drained artichokes and bring the oil to a strong sizzle over a high heat. Reduce the heat to very low , cover and cook, stirring now and then, until artichokes are tender. This will take around 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the oil. Transfer to clean jars, then pour the unstrained cooking oil over the top. If storing for more that a few days add more oil to cover and seal hot in sterilized jars.
If you don't have fresh artichokes you can use two tins of artichoke hearts and cook them for five minutes in the flavoured oil.

Lime and Ginger Syrup

I have an abundance of Tahitian Limes at the moment and they have begun to fall off the tree. The days are warming up and already we have had a few days of total fire bans. This early in the year it shows how dry and hot the weather is for mid spring. With the warmer weather cold drinks are very welcome.  

Lime and Ginger Syrup
6 cm piece of root ginger, peeled and sliced 
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup lime juice strained

Method
Simmer the sliced ginger and around 2 cups of water for 20 minutes.
Strain the ginger from the water and measure the water to 1 cup, adding more water if it has reduced down too much.   
Combine the sugar and water and cook until reduced by about 1 third. Take off the heat and stir in the lime juice.
The syrup will keep in the fridge for a few weeks but if you would like to make a larger batch you can preserve it by putting it in jars and boiling them in a water bath for about 8 minutes to seal them.

Almond Blossom Already

It looks like spring may be on its way after all. It has been too bleak and cold to do anything much out in the garden. A lot of jobs are waiting to be done. Maybe when the sun shines, but the Almond trees are trying to tell me it may be soon.

Apple and Olive Oil Cake, Scented with Lady Grey Tea

I have six different varieties of apples in the garden, but most years the birds beat me to most of them. The Rainbow Lorikeets come between Christmas and New Year when the apples are small and green. I netted three trees this year and the Lady Williams apple still bears a few fruit. Generally they are a tart apple a possible cross between a Granny Smith and Johnathan. This year as they have had a chance to ripen for a long period on the tree they are much sweeter. I still have 3 buckets of different variety apples to use up so I decided to try this cake. 

Apple and Olive Oil Cake, Scented with Lady Grey Tea    

180g of dried muscatel grapes
freshly brewed Lady Grey tea
5 small Lady Williams apples around 500 grams
150ml olive oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 and 3/4 cups self raising flour
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease and line a 20cm (8 in) springform cake tin.   

Place the muscatels in a bowl and cover with the hot tea. Cover with a plate and set aside for 20 minutes. Peel and core the apples and cut into small dice. Beat the oil and sugar together until well amalgamated. Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat them, add the eggs in small amounts at a time to the mixture, beating all the time. Sift the flour and cinnamon and add the salt.  Add the flour to the mixture to form a stiff batter. Drain the muscatels and reserve the liquid, fold the muscatels  through the mixture with the diced apple. Don't be alarmed if the apples are not completely covered by the cake batter.
Place the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for around one and a half hours, or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Check the cake halfway through and cover with foil if it is browning too quickly. 
Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the reserved liquid and reduce until it forms a thick syrup. Brush the cake while it is still hot with the syrup.

Preserved Lemons with Coriander and Honey

Last year for my birthday Coen gave me a copy of Greg Malouf's book Arabesque: Modern Middle Eastern Food. It is a beautiful book full of inspirational food. As lemons are in season and my tree is loaded, I decided to try this recipe from the book. I am keen to find out what difference it makes by adding honey as well as the fact that the preserved lemons are cooked for a few minutes. 

Preserved Lemons with Coriander and Honey

Wash and dry 1.5 kg thin-skinned lemons (or limes if you choose). Cut them into six equal portions.
Place them in a plastic bag in the freezer for 24 hours. This dramatically speeds up the maturing process. Thaw the lemons, lightly crushed the coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle. Arrange the lemon slices neatly in a jar, sprinkling each layer with around a heaped teaspoon of salt and some coriander as you go. Place 2 cinnamon sticks into the jar with 2 lemon leaves or bay leaves. I used one cinnamon stick and a piece of cassia bark. Mix together 2 tablespoons honey, 250 ml lemon juice and a little boiling water until the honey dissolves. Pour into the jar to completely cover the lemons. Top up with water if the liquid does not cover the lemons. Screw on the lid and put the jar into a large pot on top of a piece of cardboard (this will stops the jars vibrating). Pour in enough warm water to come halfway up the sides of the jar and slowly bring it to the boil. Boil for 6 minutes, then remove from the heat. Lift the jar out of the water and store in a cool, dry place for at least a month before opening. Once opened, keep refrigerated.

There are lots of ways you can use up the lemons, I like to add them to a salad or a bowl of hummus.
Finley sliced and added to butter it makes a beautiful addition to a roast chicken if you place the mixture under the skin of the breast of the chicken before roasting. 

Kasundi

I love this Indian style paste, you can use it as a sauce on vegetables or a base for a dip. It makes a great dipping sauce for sweet potato wedges with sour cream. It is normally made in summer with fresh tomatoes, but they are not in season now so I used tinned tomatoes. The sauce is chunkier if you use fresh ones. Taste FANTASTIC!

 Kasundi
2 onions coarsely chopped
60g fresh ginger
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 long green chillies, chopped
2 long red chillies, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
3 cloves
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 cup neutral oil
I tablespoon mustard oil
6 large tomatoes seeded and chopped
Or 1 400gram tin of diced tomatoes in juice
1 -2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Dry roast the cumin. fennel and mustard seeds.
Place onions, garlic,chillies, ginger, tomato paste, sugar, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and oils in a food processor and grind to a fine paste.
In a heavy based pan add the mixture and cook over medium heat until the paste is softened and the oil starts to separate. This will take around 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, cloves and garam masala. Cover and simmer over a very low heat, stirring  often to make certain that the mixture does not catch on the bottom of the pan. Cook for around 1 1/2 hours or until it is soft and pulpy and the oil rises to the surface of the mixture.
Seal in hot sterilized jars or let the mixture cool and store in a sealed container in the fridge. It should keep for months. Makes about 2 cups.

Mandarin, Cardamom and Ginger Marmalade

This small gift of light through the dining room window is welcome on yet another cold day.
I love marmalade make from mandarins and I have some little puddings in mind to make from it. This time I have added crystallized ginger to give the marmalade a bit more punch. 


Mandarin, Cardamom and Ginger Marmalade
8 mandarins
12 cardamom pods
200 grams crystallized ginger, finely sliced
Water to cover
Sugar

Method 
Peel the mandarin's and cut the skin into the finest julienne that you can master. Chop the fruit into small pieces, removing seeds. add cardamom pods. Cover with water and leave stand over night. Add the crystallized ginger and simmer fruit until tender, measure the quantity of the fruit and liquid and add equal quantity of sugar. Return to the heat and simmer gently until setting point is reached. Pour into warm sterilized jars. Some people seal the when the marmalade is cold. others do it while the mixture is hot. I do both. 

Preserved Lemons

I do like to have some preserved lemons on hand especially over the summer as I use them in salads. I don't like the amount of salt a lot of recipes use and I most often preserve them in a brine.
These lemons are frozen overnight to hasten the preserving process.

Preserved Lemons

4 lemons

4 heaped teaspoons salt

Juice of 4 lemons

12 cardamon pods

2 bay leaves
Method

Water to cover the fruit if needed

Scrub the lemons well and slice them lengthwise into sixths. Freeze the lemon slices in a zip lock bag overnight. Next day sterilize a medium sized jar and its metal lid. Take the lemons out of the freezer and pack them into the clean jar. Add the salt to each layer of lemons. Add the juice and the bay leaf. Cover with water if needed.

The pickled lemons will be ready in about a week but will improve over several months. Once you open the jar, you'll need to keep them refrigerated.

To use the lemons, scoop out and discard the lemon flesh, then thinly slice the rinds.