Roasted Pumpkin and Silverbeet Risotto Recipe source: www.masterchef.com.au Serves: Serves 30 to taste Fresh from the garden: Silver beet, pumpkin : 1.2kg pumpkin, peeled, cut into 2cm dice 2 tbsp oil 1 Litre homemade vegetable stock 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 3 cups Arborio rice 3 cups chopped silverbeet leaves ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated : 1. Preheat oven to 200 C. Place pumpkin in a large roasting dish, toss through 1 tbsp oil. Bake for 20 mins or until tender. 2. Meanwhile, place stock in a saucepan, bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer to keep warm. 3. 3. Heat remaining oil in another saucepan over medium heat. Add onion & garlic, cook for 5 mins. Add rice & stir to coat with oil. 4. Add 1 cup warm stock to rice. Stir constantly until stock has been absorbed. Continue adding stock 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until stock is absorbed. Once all stock has been is added & rice is tender, stir through silver beet, parmesan & roasted pumpkin. Serve with extra parmesan. Equipment Large knife, Baking tray, Measuring spoons, large saucepan, large frypan, Ladle, Small knife
Salad of the Imagination By Stephanie Alexander 6 cups mixed salad leaves, torn to bite size pieces. Any other veggie from the garden, i.e. spring onions, capsicum, herbs (parsley, basil, mint, lemon thyme etc), chopped Classic lemon dressing 1 clove garlic Salt Juice of half a lemon or lime 1 tablespoon of honey 1/3 cup olive oil Pepper Wash leaves under the cold tap then dry in batches in the salad spinner. Remove any large stems for the spinach leaves. Set aside in the fridge until needed (in salad spinners). Vinaigrette dressing Peel and chop the garlic roughly. Place it in the mortar with a pinch of salt, then pound to a paste using the pestle. Juice the lemon and add the juice to the mortar, then stir the lot with the tablespoon and scrape it into the large bowl. Stir in the oil and sugar and add some pepper, then whisk the dressing lightly. Tip salad leaves into bowl with dressing. Gently turn the leaves in the dressing using the tongs or your (clean) hands. Transfer salad to a serving platter and serve immediately. Equipment Knives, pestle and mortar, whisk, juicer, bowl, salad spinner
Parsley pesto Recipe from Miss Best 1 cup parsley leaves 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 cup sunflower seeds 1tsp salt 2 cloves garlic 1/3 cup olive oil Pulse parsley and garlic in food processor to chop up. Add the salt, seeds, lemon juice and process again. Slowly pour the olive oil down the spout as the mixture is processing. Process until the mixture forms a smooth paste. All about Parsley. Parsley is rich in many vital vitamins, including Vitamin C, B 12, K and A. This means parsley keeps your immune system strong, tones your bones and heals the nervous system, too. It helps flush out excess fluid from the body, thus supporting kidney function. However, the herb contains oxalates, which can cause problems for those with existing kidney and gall bladder problems. Regular use of parsley can help control your blood pressure. The folic acid in this herb is like a tonic for your heart. Parsley essential oil, when massaged into the scalp, may reduce hair loss. Use parsley daily, and you ll feel relief from joint pain. That s because the herb has anti-inflammatory properties. Parsley tea relaxes stiff muscles and encourages digestion. Studies indicate that parsley especially its essential oil may have a role in inhibiting cancerous tumours. In fact, scientists have billed it a chemoprotective food.
Fennel Seed Grissini From Stephanie Alexander s Kitchen Garden Companion 200g plain flour 50g semolina ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons instant dried yeast 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus extra for greasing 160ml warm water Fennel Flavouring 80ml olive oil 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed with a mortar and pestle Salt Combine flour, semolina, salt and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add oil to warm water and, with motor running, add mixture to bowl and work to form smooth dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Knock dough back gently, then cover with a tea towel and allow to double again (about 30 minutes). Preheat oven to 200*C. Divide dough into 20 pieces, each about 3cm in diameter. On a workbench, role each piece into a thin sausage-shape about 20cm long, using both hands. Spread out your fingers as the piece of dough stretches. To make fennel flavouring, pour olive oil into a baking tray. Swish garlic in oil, and then scatter in fennel seeds and salt. Drag dough pieces through oil mixture and transfer to another baking tray, spacing them well apart. Use a pastry brush to brush remaining fennel flavouring onto the dough. Bake for 10 minutes then turn. Bake for another 5 minutes or until crisp. Cool in a cake cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
All about Silverbeet Okay, are you ready for how good this stuff is for you? Silverbeet's vitamin K levels are almost shocking in their excess. You see there's enough vitamin K in one 150g serve of silverbeet for six times your daily requirements. It's also packed with vitamins A, C and E. It is high in fibre and contains riboflavin and B6. It has high concentrations of manganese, magnesium, potassium, iron and other minerals. All of this amounts to a great food for preventing premature aging, colds and flu and anaemia. Chards are also high in beta-carotene, a strong antioxidant that helps to protect the eyes against sun damage and helps prevent heart disease and cancer. AMAZING!!