my farm kitchen blog

melanzane alla parmigiana

2012-05-28T01:38:41Z

Last month we were talking favourite veggie dishes and I shared my Cauliflower Cheese and Roman Rosemary Potato recipes with you. I hadn’t yet posted the third veggie dish I mentioned. So here it is, such a well known and well loved dish all around the world.

To be honest, it’s actually my near-miss Suocera’s recipe. I’m translating it from Italian into English from my little duck journal. A beautiful notebook I bought in Florence many moons ago. I quickly filled it with best loved recipes during my first year in Italy. I‘d often drool over the stationery shop windows almost as much as ‘La Pasticceria’.

‘La Suocera’ always had me in fits of laughter. Not the lady, she scared the .... out of me. But the word itself. So ominous and sharp in a language full of melodic softness. Just like the $2.50 eggplants at the Farmers Markets on Saturday. Round, plump and glossy. One almost knows it means ‘mother-in-law’, even before you understand a full sentence of Italian.

My near-miss ‘Suocera’ (I’ll save that story for the book!) was kinder and more nurturing than her title. And an exceptional cook, like her Mamma and Nonna before her. However, Australia was a country seemingly too far away for comfort and comprehension. I’m convinced that’s why our nation of immigrants embraces all cuisines with such vigor. Food takes us closer to our roots. Nowhere is off limits or too far away when we’re cooking...... so bring on the recipe already! And have a great start to the week MFK friends.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana

Ingredients (serves 6)

olive oil cooking spray ❤ 2 large eggplants or 3 medium sized ❤ 700gram jar of tomato Passata ❤ 1 onion, finely chopped ❤ small tub of tomato paste ❤ 1 handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped ❤ 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and bruised ❤ 140 grams parmesan cheese, freshly grated ❤ 240 grams mozzarella, sliced ❤ 6 tablespoons olive oil ❤ 1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs ❤ plenty of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper ❤ rocket leaves to serve (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to moderate 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a 5-6cm deep medium sized baking dish with butter or oil.

Cut eggplant into even 1cm wide slices and place in a colander. Sprinkle a generous amount of sea salt evenly over the slices and allow to sit over a larger bowl for about 30 minutes to release any bitter juices. The bowl will catch brown liquid underneath. If time poor , just skip this step as it’s not essential. Simply salt the eggplant slices well during frying.

If you prefer a healthier option, then spray the eggplant slices with olive oil on both sides and grill them for 2 minutes on each side or until tender and charred.

To make the tomato sauce, fry off chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. Once translucent and flavours released, add the jar of Passata and tomato paste to the pot. Cook and stir as required for at least 10 minutes.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of the greased baking dish. Place ¼ of the eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle ¼ of the grated parmesan and chopped basil on top of the eggplant. Now add a layer of sliced mozzarella. Repeat the layering process until you finish up all your ingredients with a fourth layer on top of parmesan covered eggplant and some mozzarella. Top with fine breadcrumbs. Please excuse the one photographed - it's last nights dinner, a healthier version without the mozzarella layers.

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until bubbling and golden and you can’t withstand that fragrant cooking any longer. Rest and cool for as long as you can resist and serve. Tastes even better the next day and also terrific sliced and served cold with rocket or spinach salad. Some say it’s a marvelous midnight snack and potent pick-me-up directly from the fridge. I’d have to agree on that. What's your favourite veggie dish?

zucchini & cranberry nut loaf

2012-05-24T09:11:43Z

Sweet yet Savoury. Don't you love it when a dish fuses the two together in perfect harmony. Whether it be dinner time, a pretty tiered High Tea selection or just a simple warm loaf like this one. Savoury breads with a dose of sweetness are entirely satisfying and perfect for lunch - especially complimented with soft cheeses (brie or camembert) and a little pot of homemade relish , tamarillo or capisicum jam on the side. Some might say savoury breads have well and truly taken over from classic quiches at lunchtime. But I’d like to think there’s still plenty of room for them both. And I look forward to sharing my traditional Quiche Lorraine recipe with you soon.

This recipe is a hybrid of inspiration from an old “Delicious Magazine” recipe and from Margaret Fulton’s Zucchini quick bread, found in her fabulous new book simply titled “Baking”.

I’ve added my own obsessions, more cranberries and seeds and a touch of 'pink and green should always be seen'. Bright green zucchini, pinkish red cranberries, smooth green pepitas. Continuing the theme, pink petals and greenery on fine bone English china. Cheap op shop finds that always add colour and enjoyment. As does a cup of Tea Tonic’s beautiful Berry Green Tea. Picture perfect luncheon complete.

Zucchini, Cranberry & Nut Loaf

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups (400 grams) plain flour ❤ 1 teaspoon bicarb soda ❤ ½ teaspoon baking powder ❤ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ❤ ¼ teaspoon mixed spice ❤ 1 firmly packed cup (200 grams) brown sugar ❤ ½ cup caster sugar ❤ 3 free range eggs, beaten ❤ 200 ml sunflower canola oil ❤ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ❤ 3 large zucchini, grated ❤ ¾ cup nuts; walnuts, pecans or pine nuts (up to you) toasted and chopped plus a little extra for sprinkling on top ❤ ½ cup dried cranberries (craisins) ❤ small sprinkle of pepitas (sunflower seeds) & some leftover nuts on top ❤ teaspoon of demerara sugar (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to slow 150°C (300°F). Margaret Fulton bakes her zucchini quick bread at 190 for 55mins but I prefer to bake this one slowly, just like my Coconut Banana Bread and Low Fat Healthy Loaf. 1 -1¼ hours will do it.

Grease a large (2 litre) loaf tin and line with baking paper. Grate zucchini and lightly roast the nuts in the warmed oven.

Sift flour, spices, baking powder and bicarb soda together with a pinch of salt. Add sugar, beaten eggs, oil, vanilla, zucchini, nuts and cranberries to the dry flour mix. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture is well combined. Pour into the prepared loaf tin. Sprinkle extra nuts and seeds on top. Also a little demerara sugar if you have some. Bake for 1-1 ¼ hours in slow oven or until cooked in the centre, test with skewer to be sure. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the tin and allowing to cool completely before slicing.

You can change the flavours of course as you so desire using; red onion, cheese (feta, cheddar or parmesan), and/or herbs (dill, mint or basil). These ingredients also work well in savoury zucchini muffins or a pie. Just don’t forget to squeeze as much liquid from the zucchini as possible if making into a pie. Use 5 eggs and about 700grams of grated zucchini. No need for pastry and crumble feta on top for the yummiest result, just like I do in the roast veggie frittata recipe. Enjoy. x

roasted chestnuts + butterfly pasta with cream of walnut sugo

2012-05-18T10:02:24Z

Going abit nutty can really be a good thing. I’ve got two terrific nut recipes to share with you from my wintry days in Rome. As the temperature continues to drop, I can highly recommend heading straight for your kitchen. My farm kitchen at Weka Weka is a refuge of guaranteed winter warmth. Home fires burning, hearty meals on dark, chilly evenings.

Roasted Chestnuts (le castagne arrosto) also known as marrone

The easiest and tastiest way to enjoy chestnuts is roasted on the stovetop in your oldest frypan. All you need are a few brown paper bags.

Ingredients

Fresh Chestnuts, as many as you like

Method

Using a sharp knife, bang a small cross on the top skin of each chestnut (the round part), not too deep, just a few millimetres. Place them flat in a frypan, cut side down. Wet several brown paper bags and lay on top. The aim being to cover the nuts with one layer of wet paper to seal them and give moisture while cooking. Occasionally shake the pan gently and cook until almost starting to burn, approximately 10 minutes. Re-wet the paper bags as needed to retain moisture. Remove from flame; turn the nuts over to cook for a few minutes longer on their flat side. Cool a little, only enough to break open without burning the skin off your fingers! Peel and enjoy immediately. They’re much easier to peel when warm not cooled. Never forget to slit your nuts - they will explode. Trust me on this one.

Seasonal Jotting

The re-appearance of chestnuts in our fruit shops and markets each year is a joyous sight. I mean no offence to our marvellous macadamia, a proud Queenslander that falls freely in my own backyard. However, the chestnuts we are receiving from our southern neighbours are great. It doesn’t really matter what crazy price these smooth, brown nuts might be fetching. Only a few big handfuls are all that’s required to shift your shivers and warm your kitchen.

Peeling hot chestnuts with a loved one is like putting match to a flame. It’s the perfect conversation starter. Marvellous how the simplest of foods transports us back, often to foreign places and with all our senses. The woody scent of chestnuts roasting returns me to foggy Italian roadsides in Abruzzo. To the blackened hands of cheery chestnut vendors on snowy European street corners. Coned paper-bags steaming fragrantly.

There are more than 300 chestnut growers in Australia producing around 1,200 tonnes annually, 80% coming from north-eastern Victoria. The good news is that crops will increase considerably in the next ten years due to large plantings fifteen years ago. Depending on the variety, most nuts drop from mid March to early May. Devour them while they last. And don’t worry about their size. As I often tell my youngest daughter, good things come in small packages – the smaller ones are often the sweetest.

Butterfly pasta with cream of walnut sauce (farfalle con crema di noci e panna)

Here’s a slow food recipe I enjoy cooking for all the family. I use the term ‘slow food’ because the sauce is most delicious when you take the time to peel the skins off the walnuts. Best achieved with some patience and covering them in boiling water for a few minutes to loosen their thin brown skins OR lightly roasting them and rubbing them in a tea towel.

Serves 6 Prep time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 10-12 minutes for the pasta only. The sauce just needs warming and tossing through the hot pasta.

Ingredients

Sauce: 300 grams of fresh aussie walnuts, lightly roasted and shelled ❤ 180 grams of gorgonzola cheese ❤ 8 fresh basil leaves ❤ 1 large ripe vine ripened tomato ❤ 2 large sprigs of fresh italian parsley ❤ 1 red chilli ❤ 4 tablespoons of cream ❤ extra virgin olive oil ❤ a packet of barilla farfalle butterfly pasta or your favourite fresh pasta

Method

Remove the skin off the walnuts and place them in a food processor. Boil salted water for the pasta and cook as directed. Chop Gorgonzola into small pieces and place in the food processor with the nuts. Add the remaining ingredients; herbs, chilli, skinned tomato, dash of olive oil and cream. Blend all the ingredients together until the mix becomes a rich paste. Gently warm the amount of sauce you desire in a saucepan over low heat. Add the pasta, toss together and serve. Any leftover sauce can be refrigerated for later in the week.

I buy fresh winter nuts from my green grocer or local farmers markets. In Brisbane I used to get them from the neither fancy nor trendy melting pot that is Mt Gravatt Farmers & Flea Markets. On at the Showgrounds each Sunday. If you’ve ever doubted the cosmopolitan makeup of Brisbane, spend an hour wandering here. Stallholders from around the globe are great storytellers, there’s row upon row of growers and sellers and the choice of fruit and veg is quite overwhelming. Everything is at least a dollar or two a kilo lower than the shops. The flowers are fabulous. Café lattes and Char Siu pork, Indian curry puffs and Dutch pancakes, all rub shoulders together. The free-range egg man clucks for his customers. The Stanthorpe apples are super crisp, just how we remember them from childhood. As for the jolly Hungarian langos man with the skillet, fried garlic bread and pokey felt hat – he’s a ridgy didge classic straight out of Budapest.

Unlike the langos, chestnuts contain no cholesterol and are low in sodium, kilojoules and fat. They are rich in mineral salts and a good source of vitamin C, B1, B2 and folates. Walnuts contain those all-important omega-3 fatty acids.

Here in the Gold Coast Hinterland our winter can only be described as superb. You can count the foggy grey days on one hand for the entire year. It’s well worth a Sunday drive to explore. If staying in - why not cook?! cuddle up and generate some warmth amongst your family. Enjoy your weekend.

simple hearty beef soup

2012-05-16T04:37:34Z

Fortunately there aren’t too many dramas in life that can’t be shared and many times resolved over a good chat, great coffee and freshly baked slice of cake or muffin. But some days, especially late Autumn & Winter days, would you agree there’s nothing quite like a wholesome bowl of soup to soothe the soul? Especially if the change of season has left you or your family members with a cold. Urgh!

The flavours in this old family soup recipe remind me of Osso Bucco, that so-satisfying slowly cooked Italian stew we all love. Its rich flavour and fall-off-the-bone meat is tender yet filling. I can’t remember a time when this wonderful beef soup wasn’t a part of our family favourites.

On a separate but related note - Would you forgive me friends if I shy away from sugar and white flour for a little while? All feedback welcome in comments below. I’ve had quite a number of regular readers contact me re. more nutritious recipes. Like some of you, I’m also doing a little reboot at the moment to get back on track. Balance (with our food and busy lives) can be allusive at times - if we allow it. I hope you'll enjoy the addition of my best wholesome recipes over the coming weeks. And until I can't resist sharing more sweeties with you.

Ingredients

½ cup dried soup mix (pies, barley & lentils mix) ❤ 1 tablespoon lentils ❤ ¼ cup white arborio rice (or brown rice if you prefer) ❤ 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced ❤ 2 celery stalks, diced ❤ 2 carrots, peeled and diced ❤ 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed ❤ 1 white onion, peeled and diced ❤ 1 tablespoon vegemite ❤ 800 grams beef shin ‘osso bucco’ some of the fat trimmed ❤ 9-11 cups water depending on your pot size (I use approx 12 cups of water in my 5 litre capacity pot - doesn’t need to be exact) freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method

Rinse soup mix, lentils and rice in a fine sieve under running water to clean grains. Set aside.

Peel and chop tomatoes. Peel and dice carrots, garlic and onion. Wash and dice celery stalks.

Place all ingredients; legumes, vegetables, trimmed beef shin, vegemite and water in a pressure cooker pot or regular stovetop pot. Simmer very slowly on low heat, covered for at least 1 hour in your pressure cooker or 3 hours covered on your stovetop until soup is full of flavour and meat falling from the bone. I add lots of freshly cracked pepper. I tend to leave the meat in fairly chunky size pieces. If any fat rests on the top once cooled, just skim it off with a spoon. Keeps well for 5 days covered in the refrigerator, the flavour certainly enhances over that time.

happy mothers day 2012

2012-05-12T08:50:57Z

Happy Mothers Day to all Mums, Nans, Nannies, Grandmas, Nonnas ...

I’m re-posting my Mum Wendy’s favourite cake Torta della Nonna, (Grandma's Cake), in case you missed it or are having trouble deciding what to bake for your precious Mum. It’s a sophisticated version of our Aussie custard tart and ab fab! Guaranteed she'll love it.

If you’re looking for something quick, simple and always well received with jam and freshly whipped chantilly cream, I can highly recommend Special Light Scones for your Mum. Enjoy your special day together. xo

traditional bread and butter pudding

2012-05-10T01:01:40Z

Let’s use that lovely leftover brioche...finally. My little barbie princess turned 5 yesterday so cupcakes for school and THE birthday cake took top billing for a few days. Fellow Mums, you know the drill well ... balloon blowing, new bike, overtired excitement, slightly jealous sibling/s, sugar high, lots of laughter etc.. I pulled off a 1st and had the cakes finished by 7pm the night before. Finally, Miss 5 chose a cake from the Women’s Weekly Birthday Book without a subtitle ‘this cake is not difficult however time consuming’!

You can use plain white bread, panettone, stale croissants or other fancy sweet breads to make this lovely pud. Traditionally in 17th & 18th Century Britain, it was a popular way of using up stale white bread and baking dessert while the oven was still roast hot. It’s only quite recently that home cooks, British gastropubs and chefs around the world began dressing up this most simple and honest pud.

The idea being all the buttered bread gets completely soaked in a lovely sweet custard. You can scent the custard with lemon or orange rind, nutmeg, brandy, liqueur or other sophistications if you desire. Currants can be used instead of, or as well as, sultanas. I choose to make my B&B pud like my Mum does ie. like my Granny did. Just cinnamon and vanilla. And without extra flourishes - to keep it simple. Just like a kiddie birthday cake ought to be, every year.

Ingredients

6 thick sliced slices of day old white bread, brioche, panettone or similar ❤ 60 grams of soft butter, plus extra for greasing ❤ 85 grams (½ cup) sultanas ❤ ¼ cup shredded coconut ❤ 700 ml milk ❤ ½ cup cream ❤ 4 tablespoons of caster sugar ❤ 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract ❤ 4 eggs ❤ cinnamon sugar for dusting

Method

Prep time 10 mins / Baking Time 60 mins (plus standing time) Serves 6

Lightly grease a 1-litre capacity ovenproof dish.

Pour milk, cream, caster sugar, vanilla and eggs into a jug. Whisk vigorously or beat well to combine. Ensure sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

Butter bread slices on both sides. Cut into small (approx 3cm) squares or rectangles. Arrange half of the bread squares on the bottom of your prepared baking dish for bottom layer.

I don't normally cut sweet crunchy crusts off brioche - perhaps just cut off crusts if using normal white bread.

Scatter half the sultanas and coconut over the top. Place another layer of bread squares on top. Scatter the remaining sultanas and coconut over the bread and pour whisked custard mixture evenly over the entire dish. Stand until bread has absorbed mixture well.

Preheat oven to moderate 170°C (340°F). Sprinkle cinnamon sugar generously all over the pudding top. Set the pudding dish inside a larger baking dish, bain-marie (water bath) style. Fill the larger baking dish with hot water until the water bath is just under halfway up the side of the pudding dish. Bake until golden and set, about 60 minutes. Let stand to cool a little before serving, serve still warm or at room temperature dusted with icing sugar and vanilla ice-cream on the side if desired.

the No.9 - toasted brioche ice-cream sandwich w homemade caramel sauce

2012-05-06T08:06:21Z

All plans for my next recipe post hit the back burner literally, when I laid eyes on No.9. No 9. that is in the new Gourmet Traveller HOT 100 list. But in this case it's COLD. We’re told Sydney’s hip cafes are the place to enjoy the re-birth of an old favourite, ice-cream toasted sandwiches. It’s the Monaco bar gone gourmet. And it's heavenly.

As a delicious day of play in Sydney is not on my radar anytime soon (sob, poor me), I thought "let's make it at home, pronto!" I used top quality vanilla ice-cream and my quick homemade caramel sauce and... voila. Of course you can buy a loaf of freshly baked brioche to super express this recipe if you’d like. I’ve made mine cause good brioche is hard to find around here. Plus I adore baking bread and wanted plenty leftover for Mum’s classic Bread and Butter Pudding to share with you next time. It’s only the most popular cool weather dessert for the past 100 years or so.

Ingredients

For Brioche dough

160 ml milk ❤ 1 ½ teaspoons dried yeast ❤ 5 egg yolks, at room temperature, lightly beaten ❤ 375 grams plain flour, sifted plus extra for kneading ❤ generous pinch of sea salt ❤ 30 grams caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling ❤ 150 grams butter, diced and softened to room temperature, not melted plus a litte extra for greasing dough bowl

Egg wash - 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water to glaze

Good quality Vanilla Ice-Cream

For Quick homemade Caramel Sauce

1 tablespoon butter ❤ 1 cup brown sugar ❤ 1 teaspoon cornflour dissolved in 1 cup of milk ❤ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method + Tips

To make brioche - Grease and line large loaf tin with baking paper. Heat milk in a small saucepan over low heat until warm. Put half the milk in a bowl and sprinkle over the yeast, stir until dissolved if necessary. Stand this bowl in a warm place (not hot, just warm) until yeast has activated and become frothy (8-10 minutes). Whisk eggs yolks and remaining milk in a bowl and set aside.

Place the dry ingredients; plain flour, caster sugar and salt into the bowl of your mixer with the dough hook attached. You really do need a mixer with dough hook for brioche, it’s pretty hard work kneading it sufficiently by hand. Combine dry ingredients at low speed.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add egg mixture and yeast mixture to the centre. Mix continuously on medium speed for about 5 minutes until dough is smooth and sticky. Stop the mixer and clean down the bowl sides with a spatula. Turn mixer back on medium and add diced butter in three additions until the butter is well combined and dough is elastic, shiny and comes away from the sides of the bowl (about 8 minutes). Place in a lightly buttered bowl and allow to stand covered for 1 ½ hours until dough has doubled in size. Knock back dough with your fist and knead lightly until smooth. Shape into the loaf size and place into the prepared tin to rest a second time, another ½ hour.

Preheat oven to moderate 180C (350F). Brush loaf with egg wash and sprinkle caster sugar all over. Bake until golden and risen well, approx 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

To assemble - Toast thick slices of brioche until golden brown and butter lightly. Place buttered side of one slice down on the serving plate. Spread vanilla ice-cream on top in a thick even layer. Sandwich other brioche slice on top of ice-cream with the un-buttered side facing down.

Drizzle caramel sauce around the plate and over the top of sandwich too if desired.

To make the caramel sauce

Dissolve cornflour in a cup of cold milk and set aside. Heat and melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan, stirring well. Cook for 4-5 minutes slowly over low heat. Add the cup of milk to the pan and stir with wooden spoon until it boils. Take off the heat and add the vanilla to mix through when the caramel sauce is cold. I don’t cook this particular caramel sauce for too long as it’s more an ice-cream drizzle than a tart filler so best on the bit runnier side. It thickens a little too, once cooled. Store any leftover caramel in a sealed jar in the fridge for another use.

I should say this isn’t the recipe Wilbur’s Place in Pott’s Point Sydney use. Their brioche looks like it’s been in the sandwich press - very lovely and golden. I’ve created this recipe to replicate the dish but credit Wilbur's and Gourmet Traveller for the inspiration and gorgeous p.97 pic in their May edition. Enjoy!

bj inspired bacon & egg pie

2012-05-03T02:32:57Z

Say goodbye to boiled, fried, scrambled and poached eggs this weekend. Spoil yourself with this scrumptious breakfast pie.

All credit goes to the amazing BJ (aka Belinda Jeffery) Have you seen her website? OMG! Just like her books, recipe collection and amazing photograper Rodney Weidland. Gorgeous.

"Mix & Bake" is still my absolute BJ fav. I started baking this pie in 2007 when the book was first released and I haven’t stopped baking it since. Our cafe customers used to tell me ‘how a little bit spoilt’ they felt when presented with a steamy slice on a Sunday morning. There’s no reason why you can’t whip it up and feel a little bit spoilt too, this weekend or sometime soon.

Ingredients

Adapted just a smidge from Belinda’s Mix & Bake and using my own method

600 grams of store bought quality puff or shortcrust pastry (I always use Careme brand puff but Belinda uses shortcrust) both work equally as yum ❤ 2 large leeks, white part only, washed and sliced finely (you can use onions if you don’t have leeks) ❤ 8 large rashers of butchers Bacon, rind removed ❤ bunch of freshly picked Italian parsley ❤ 1 tablespoon chopped chives ❤ 11 free range eggs ❤ ½ cup (125 ml) full cream milk or cream (I use cream, surprise surprise!) ❤ a little ground nutmeg & freshly cracked pepper ❤ egg wash ie. 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water to glaze pie top

Method + Tips

Grease and line the bottom of a 24 or 26cm loose bottom tart tin with baking paper. Ensure it’s a good quality tin that won’t leak or use an extra layer of baking paper and a sheet of tin foil if necessary to line tin bottom. Place the tin on a flat baking tray.

Prepare the leeks by chopping the whites finely. Place in a microwave proof bowl with a knob of butter and cover with cling wrap. Cook on high heat in the microwave for 3 minutes. If you don’t use a microwave, just sweat and fry the leeks off in a frying pan for a few minutes. Put aside to cool.

Remove rind from the bacon and put into the frying pan. Fry off the rind for a minute or two to coat the bottom of your pan. Remove and discard. Add the whole bacon strips and fry until browned but not crisp. Put aside to cool and chop roughly.

Preheat oven to moderately hot 190°C (370°F). Line base and sides of pie tin with pastry. Reserve ⅓ of the pastry for your pie top.

Scatter leeks and ¾ of the chopped bacon inside pastry shell. Crack each egg into a cup and add gently to the top of the pie filling. Use all ten. Try not to break the yolks if you can help it as the whole eggs look so fab in the pie slices. Saying that, if you break a few it really doesn’t matter.

Whisk the final remaining egg with your milk or cream until combined. Drizzle this over the pie filling and scatter the remaining bacon and freshly chopped herbs on top.

Cover the pie with its pastry top. Seal the edges in, squeezing with your finger tips after wetting the edges with a little egg wash. Trim the leftover pastry around the edge with a sharp knife.

Any pastry offcuts can be used to cutout little leaves for decorating the top. Just mark out the leaf shape and score pastry with a blunt knife down the centre and sides of each leaf to make the leaf veins. Arrange on pie centre. Gently prick pie centre and sides with a fork to allow the steam to escape while cooking. Brush all over with egg wash glaze.

Bake for 50-55 minutes until golden brown and the smell is driving you crazy. Leave pie to cool on a wire rack in the tin. It’s just as lovely served as leftovers for a few days after. Keep it in the fridge.

If desired, experiment with your breakfast fillings. BJ recommends scattering chopped smoked salmon instead of cooked bacon and using dill instead of chives. You won’t ever step a foot wrong with that terrific variation.

A new Pie + Matt Golinski + bits

2012-05-02T12:07:45Z

First up, so sorry for being quiet this week. It's actually been anything but quiet at the farm and around home. I’ve been itching for days to sit and write, bake and share a new recipe with you. Can you feel an excuse coming on?

In all honesty, I had my heart set on attaching a little video and showing you our beautiful orchard in full moving colour. Alas, I'm still learning the ropes of Podcast, mastering iMovie and finishing "Videoblogging for Dummies". Hopefully it won't be too much longer and I'll give you that tour. Perhaps even a few fun cooking demos from My Farm Kitchen, or from the paddock or veggie patch.

As you can see in still form, I’ve been busy ‘dealing’ with the fruits of autumn. I’d NEVER use the word ‘glut’, for risk of any connotation to this lot being unwelcome. Baskets overflowing with home grown crops - what an absolute blessing. Though I'm sure the green thumbs will agree, sometimes the sheer volume of each crop can be abit overwhelming. Especially for home cooks like us - eager to conserve and preserve all that loveliness asap. The stash of ruby's above is from just one young tree that's only about a metre high. I'm not sure how it held on to all that weight. Same way I'm holding on to mine I guess!

There’s piles of chillies, the loveliest lemons from Mum’s favourite tree, the first exceptional oranges of the season and enough fresh basil to make pesto till the cows come home. Or chooks in our case. I’ve also been busy keeping up with citus curd sales, testing new preserve ideas and combinations for the Winter Jam Club deliveries starting next month.

I’ve been meaning to say thanks for all the enthusiastic feedback on Lucia’s Chicken & Leek Pie. I think some pies have got a little too fancy over the past few years and it’s great to see such a good, simple old fashioned pie still a big winner. My Pie is in the Super Food Ideas Best Pie Competition, closing 15 May - there’s still time to vote or comment if you feel so inclined and kind. Thanks heaps. Just click on the Super Foods link. Their Taste recipe website is fantastic.

Wasn’t it brilliant to read in Monday’s Courier Mail that Matt Golinski is finally out of hospital and commencing the next stage of his recovery from his parent’s home. Well done Matt! Your courage is so inspiring. Plates For Mates continues to run. As do our $10 donations for new MFK Jam Club Memberships.

There’s another classic pie I love to bake - Bacon & Egg with leek and fresh herbs. It’s a scrumptious alternative to the usual boiled, fried, scrambled or poached egg at breakfast time. I promise I’ll share the recipe and pics with you tomorrow, in the hope you’ll love it as much as Lucia's Chicken Pie. Until then - take care & happy baking.

retro sultana cake

2012-04-26T04:22:46Z

Just noticed I’ve already clocked up 35,000 words in my blog document. How quickly they add up. On Day 1 a few months back, I saved my word doc as ‘Blog Ramblings’. Thank you so much for reading and following my ramblings and recipes. I’m as chuffed as a ‘nearly 5yr old’ getting her 1st prep certificate for student of the week (well done pumpkin!)

But it’s early days yet, at school and My Farm Kitchen. With only 56 recipes baked and one full season past, I’m getting excited about sharing my fondest winter recipes with you. MFK friends in the Northern Hem, please don’t despair. Our mild Queensland Winter is much like your Spring that’s finally sprung. There’ll be plenty of goodies to bake for all seasons.

This cooler weather is perfect for old fashioned heart warming loaves. I’ve tested many sultana (and date) loaf recipes over the years. No doubt you’ve tried lots too. This one's from my Mum’s oldest recipe collection and it's particularly fab. Not sure of its origin but it's certainly a creation from the 50/60’s. I’ve renamed it retro but it belongs in the boiled fruit cake category. And currently fights for top billing with that other quick Low Fat Healthy Loaf shared a few months back.

Ingredients

4 cups plain flour ❤ 1 teaspoon bi carb (baking) soda ❤ 1 teaspoon mixed spice ❤ 1 teaspoon ground cloves ❤ 2 cups caster sugar ❤ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened ❤ 2 cups warm water ❤ 500 grams Australian sultanas, rinsed and drained (or a combination of sultanas and chopped dates if you like) ❤ ½ teaspoon sea salt ❤ 1 tablespoon of marmalade or finely chopped citrus peel

Makes 2 medium sized loaves 22cm x 11cm or 1 x larger loaf + 1 x small loaf

Method

Preheat oven to moderate 180°C (350°F). Grease two loaf tins and line with baking paper.

Sift flour, spices, baking soda and salt together twice into a large bowl.

Combine sugar, butter, water and sultanas in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to the boil. Turn heat down and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from stove top and allow to cool completely. Add the sultana mixture to flour and fold through with a large metal spoon. Fold in marmalade or chopped peel too. Careful not to over mix at this stage.

Spread into prepared loaf tins and bake for 50 minutes - 1 hour or until centre springs back when lightly touched. Great toasted and spread with butter if desired. Or just enjoy fresh and plain straight from the oven. Keeps well in an airtight container. Just as well it makes 2 loaves, has a shocking habit of just disappearing.

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