Tuesday 17 March 2015

Weeks 6 and 7 Term 1, 2015

Our menu for the past two weeks has been

Zucchini Fritters
Salad of the Imagination
Pasta with Spinach Cream Sauce
Stir-fried Vegetables
Pizza of the Imagination

Our Recipes:

Zucchini fritters
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
4 medium zucchini
Olive oil
100g bread crumbs
¾ cup Cheddar cheese
¾ cup Mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

·        Pre heat oven to 200 degrees
·        Chop zucchini
·        Crush garlic
·        Fry garlic and  zucchini until tender – this should seal it
·        Add mixture to bowl and leave to cool
·        Grate cheese
·        Whisk eggs
·        Add bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, lemon juice, salt and pepper to zucchini mix
·        Make 25 small balls of mixture
·        Put on lined baking tray
·        Bake for 15 minutes until brown
























Salad of the Imagination
This salad has been a frequent visitor to our menus – students are encouraged to choose whatever they would like to put into a salad from any fruit, vegetable, herb or flower on our harvest table.

·        Select seasonal produce, about 4 cups of mixed salad greens makes a good base. Then add grapes, oranges, carrots, pears, apples, beetroot, melon ........
·        Having made the selection it is simply a question of washing, drying, chopping, ripping, slicing as appropriate.
·        Similarly the dressing is ‘created’ by the students
o   1 part of acidic liquid - vinegar (any type), lemon juice or lime juice
o   4 parts oil
o   And then more imagination is required!! Add any of these items:
§  Honey or sugar
§  Mustard
§  Herbs – parsley, tarragon, mint, coriander, bergamot, ....
§  Spices – coriander, cumin, paprika, cardamom ......
o   Whichever combination you choose, always season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.          
o   Taste the dressing and adjust the flavours as necessary before using.
·        Once everything is in the serving bowl the next part of the imaginative process is to add garnishes!
o   Croutons
o   ‘Chips’ (wafer thin slices of crisply fried vegetables) – sweet potato, carrot, parsnip .....
o   Shavings, crumblings or cubes of cheese – feta, parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella .......
o   Olives
o   Hard boiled eggs
o   Crumbled bacon
o   Nuts – pine, walnuts, almonds, cashew .....
o   Seeds – pumpkin, sunflower ......
o   Edible flowers – borage, marigold, nasturtium......
·        It is very important to be gentle with this salad – too much mixing and everything blends together – mixing with finger tips is recommended.












Pasta with Spinach Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
Pasta dough (see separate recipe)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves
2 bunches silverbeet
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
250mL thickened cream
Salt and pepper to taste


·        See separate recipe for pasta
·        Peel and crush garlic
·        Chop silverbeet
·        Grate nutmeg
·        Fry garlic, silverbeet and nutmeg until silverbeet wilts
·        Add cream
·        Simmer for 2 minutes until thickened slightly
·        Season with salt and pepper
·        Add to cooked pasta

Basic Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
3 cups pasta flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
Flour for dusting

Method:
·        Place everything into food processor
·        Blend until a soft dough is produced – you may need to add one or even two more eggs if the dough feels too dry
·        Cover in plastic wrap and leave for at least one hour
·        Break into 6 pieces
·        For each piece:
·        Flatten
·        Make into rectangle
·        Run through machine on widest setting 6 times – folding it back to
         original size each time
·                   Change to next setting and roll once
·        Repeat to second thinnest setting (cut in half if it gets too long)
·                   Dust with flour if pasta gets sticky
·        Repeat with other 5 pieces
·        Use machine attachment to cut pasta of your choice
·        Rest pasta for as long as possible
·        Boil in salted water 5 minutes
































Stir-fried Vegetables
Ingredients:
4 tablespoon sunflower oil
2kg seasonal vegetables
2 cloves garlic
½  cup water
2/3 cup oyster sauce
1/3 cup herbs

·        Chop vegetables
·        Crush garlic
·        Heat oil
·        Fry vegetables for 5 minutes
·        Add ½ cup water
·        Cook for 2 more minutes
·        Add oyster sauce
·        Cook for 30 seconds




























Pizza (makes 2 pizzas)
Ingredients:
Pizza dough (see separate recipe)
2 cups vegetables
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
Olive oil
Fresh basil or other seasonal herbs
Flour
2 cups tomato paste

Method:
·        Turn oven on to 200 degrees
·        Roll out dough into 2 rectangles
·        Place on lined trays
·        Spread with tomato paste
·        Choose vegetables
·        Chop, slice or tear vegetables
·        Crush garlic
·        Grate cheese
·        Cover with vegetables, garlic and cheese
·        Bake 25 minutes
·        Chop fresh herbs
·        Sprinkle fresh herbs on top of cooked pizza

Pizza Dough  (makes 2 pizzas)

Ingredients:
3 cups (400g) bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 teaspoons yeast
4 teaspoons oil
1 ¼ cup water

Method:
·        Place ingredients into bread maker in the order listed above
·        Press MENU to setting PIZZA
·        Press START
·        Dough will be ready in about 45 minutes

Note:
If you do not have a bread machine:
·        Mix ingredients as above & knead for 10 minutes
·        Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour (until double in size)










Here are some photos of our garden:

































 And just a few more photos: