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)