Autumn in Tassie

Beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables are part of the reason I love living in Tasmania. They are so fresh and vibrant! The Deviot market was on today at the Community Hall and I was stunned to see how many people had turned out! So much fresh produce and handmade items galore. I couldn't resist buying some of the beautiful fruit and veggies on display, and scored a couple of the more unusual varieties including purple carrots and a green vegetable that is very similar to spinach. Apparently it grows amazingly well in Tassie and is delicious when blanched first... the lady selling it suggested using it to make a spinach and feta pie and I might just take her up on that idea later in the week! The apples are organic and the small round loaf is olive bread.

This olive bread is so moist and chewy and the kalamata olives are perfectly salty and soft. Really wonderful dipped into extra-virgin olive oil. With a bowl of pumpkin soup, the perfect way to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon...

Porridge with Spiced Quince and Rhubarb

It is definitely porridge weather this weekend, and I was inspired eating breakfast this Thursday morning at a little bakery in Salamanca, Hobart. Their porridge, flavoured with honey and figs, was was delicious!

Yesterday afternoon I happened across some lovely quinces and a great looking bunch of rhubarb, so last night I did a bit of baking...

I cut up the quinces and rhubarb and placed them in an ovenproof dish.. I sprinkled over two teaspoons of cinnamon, two tablespoons of brown sugar and just under 1/4 cup of ginger cordial that I had stashed in the pantry (fresh ginger would also be great, although if you are doing that you might need a bit more sugar). I poured in about half a cup of some sweet red wine (I used some Brown Brothers Ciena), although any sweet desert wine would have done the trick, and then mixed it all together. Oh and added about a dozen chopped dates too for good measure.

Baked them covered in a low oven (150 degrees celcuis) for over an hour or just until the quinces are really soft. By this stage the rhubarb has lost it's shape, but I like it that way so it worked out well!

I had some this morning with my porridge- the spicy, tartness of the quinces and rhubarb worked really well with the creaminess of the porridge. I have quite a bit left over and also think it would work wonderfully with some thick greek yogurt, sprinkled with toasted almonds and walnuts and maybe a drizzle of honey.

Quiche... Aunty Mary style!

My dinner tonight was inspired by my Aunty Mary, my Mum's sister. At christmas time last year she made the most DELICIOUS quiche to bring for Christmas lunch. It was a regular quiche filling, but instead of a pastry crust she had used cooked rice to form a fantastic savoury crust! It was moist and flavourful- she had added grated tasty cheese and herbs as well as a few knobs of butter and an egg to the rice- and it was a taste sensation! A regular quiche revolution!

I decided to try a version for dinner tonight, using ready-cooked brown rice and a vegetarian filling. I heated the rice according to the packet instructions and added a teaspoon of butter, grated parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. I then added an egg and mixed it thoroughly.
Using a non-stick baking dish, I heaped the rice mixture in before shaping it much the same way as you would shape pastry for a quiche; ensuring that the rice was evenly spread and that there weren't any holes. I baked it in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes, then pulled it out and brushed the rice with some egg white. I then put it back in the oven for 2 mins or so. This part was my Aunty's hot tip- the egg white forms a 'seal' to ensure that the quiche mixture doesn't seep into the rice too much.

I then added my quiche filling, consisting of;
-4 eggs
-a generous handful of chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil and oregano)
-grated parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup light milk
-a sauteed spring onion and a handful of baby spinach leaves

I baked it in a moderate oven until the filling had JUST set... and voila! Yummo. Thanks Aunty Mary!

Fruit and Nut Loaf

I felt like baking this week, and had a particular craving for some of my mum's nut loaf. In her absence, I thought I would have a go at something similar and whilst flicking through my trusty CWA (Country Women's Association) cookbook I came across a recipe for Date and Walnut Loaf. I gave it a try (with a few modifications) and the result was delicious! It was moist and fruity, and wonderfully dark and malty with the use of brown sugar.

1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup sultanas
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp bicarb soda
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup boiling water
170g flour

A little extra brown sugar, chopped walnuts and cinnamon for the topping

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a loaf tin.
Place all the ingredients except the boiling water in a heatproof bowl, add the boiling water and mix well until the butter is melted. Leave to cool.
Add the sifted plain flour and mix gently until just combined. Spoon into the loaf tin and sprinkle with the topping mix.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. Leave to cool before storing in an airtight container.

This cake keeps really well as the sultanas and dates keep it lovely and moist, and the topping adds a sweet crunch. You can serve it spread with butter, but I have found that it is rich enough just as it is. Lovely with a cuppa!

my sourdough weekend...

Well. What better place to start than the mammoth effort of a couple of loaves of sourdough bread.
Last week a work colleague very generously gave me some of her sourdough starter, and I must admit I was thrilled to have such a head-start! I have made my own sourdough starters before, and although it's rewarding, it isn't necessarily a process designed for the more impatient bakers among us! After feeding this one madly for a week or so, I began the bread early Sunday morning and nervously followed the recipe, checking the details twice and timing the dough-kneading sessions exactly. After a process of many short kneads and many short resting times I arrived at the final rise at about midday, then set about my day, leaving it to rise for about 4 hours. Shortly thereafter was where it all seemed to come a bit unstuck . You see my loaves were sitting side-by-side, seperated by a flour-dusted teatowel (as per the recipe instructions) and they looked lovely! Soft and light, and I was thrilled that they seemed to have worked so well! Then came the issue of getting them onto the baking stone and... the loaves not only stuck to the teatowel, they seemed to deflate and shrivel right before my eyes! I oh-so-carefully tried to up-end them onto my pizza stone, then slashed them and sprayed them frantically with water before putting them into the oven, but alas. They seemed to stay a bit deflated and they spread out more than up in the oven.

I think the results are okay, all things considered. The bread is chewy and really tasty, it has that lovely authentic 'sour' taste, and a very crunchy crust that is great! However neither of the loaves has as much height as I would have liked.

Maybe next time I will leave the loaves to rise individually, rather than side-by side as this seemed to make it all the more tricky to get them into the oven individually. Also, maybe I will try to find myself a wicker basket in the shape of a narrow loaf so I get more height in the final rise.

All in all a really satisfying weekend experience. The ultimate in slow food.