Eggplant, Prosciutto and Cheese Braid

Eggplants are plentiful at the end of summer and taste wonderful in this braided savory pastry. The best prosciutto and Maasdam or Swiss cheese are layered on homemade shortcrust pastry with the eggplant and baked till golden brown. This savoury braid makes a  perfect and satisfying  lunch served with a mixed green salad. A vegetarian version is also included below with the recipe for making … Continue reading Eggplant, Prosciutto and Cheese Braid

What to Plant in February

The following is a list of things you can plant in February in Sydney, a temperate zone: Amaranth Beans (dwarf) Beetroot Broccoli Brussel sprouts Carrot Cauliflower Chives Cucumber Endive Fennel Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Mustard greens Onion Parsley Radish Silverbeet Swedes Turnip Zucchini Plant of the Month – Purple Burr Daisy – (Calotis Cuniefolia R.Br )   Continue reading What to Plant in February

Zuppa Inglese-a Classic Italian Trifle

  Zuppa Inglese – a Classic Italian Trifle Zuppa Inglese is a traditional Italian dessert that layers chocolate and vanilla custard with sponge finger biscuits soaked in Alchermes liqueur or sweet fortified wine. This recipe uses cornflour custard in place of egg custard to make a lighter version of the desert that is  so delicious. Ingredients: Savoiardi Biscuits Dessicated coconut or  finely crushed Amaretti Biscuits … Continue reading Zuppa Inglese-a Classic Italian Trifle

Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb with Vegetables

The slow cooker is wonderful for cooking any cut of meat and in the summer it does it in an energy efficient way and without creating heat in the kitchen. In this recipe we use fresh vegetables from the garden and cook a whole leg of lamb in the crock pot. When cooked, the lamb is flavourful and moist and just falls off the bone … Continue reading Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb with Vegetables

Growing Land Cress

Land Cress or Barbarea Verna is a wonderful plant for the home vegetable garden as a dead end trap for the eggs of butterflies, like the cabbage butterfly. The caterpillars hatch and die after eating the leaves of the land cress which is rich in saponins and toxic to the caterpillars. In doing so it acts as a biological pest control agent. This beneficial plant is … Continue reading Growing Land Cress

What to plant in January

The following is a list of things you can plant in January in Sydney, a temperate zone: Amaranth Beans (dwarf and climbing) Beetroot Carrot Chives Cucumber Egglant seedlings Kohlrabi Lettuce Marrow Mustard Greens Okra seedlings Parsley Radish Silverbeet Sunflower Sweet corn Turnip Zucchini Plant of the Month – Hibiscus Margurite – (Rare heirloom, double – purple, mauve, pink) Continue reading What to plant in January

New Year’s Eve Kahlúa Liqueur Balls

Rum balls are a traditional favourite over the Christmas season. This recipe is a variation on a classic theme using Kahlúa’s rich, coffee flavour to enhance the dark chocolate and coconut. They are a delicious treat for the New Year’s Eve party. New Year’s Eve Kahlúa Liqueur Balls Ingredients: 250g sweet biscuits 395 g Condensed milk 3 Tblsp Dutch Cocoa powder 1/4 cup dessicated coconut … Continue reading New Year’s Eve Kahlúa Liqueur Balls

Rosemary and Olive Palmiers

These tasty little pastry treats are a wonderful nibbly to have as an appetizer over the Christmas season. They are so easy to make and can even be prepared ahead and frozen for baking when you need them. Rosemary and Olive Palmiers Ingredients: 2 sheets frozen puff pastry 50g kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 25g parmesan cheese, grated 1 Tbsp rosemary, chopped 4 slices salami, … Continue reading Rosemary and Olive Palmiers

Merry Christmas from the Grantham Gardeners

Its another sunny, Sydney Christmas day on this side of the world. Summer’s bounty of fruit and vegetables from the garden graces our Christmas table, as family gathers for a feast of traditional food that originates in the colder climates of far away lands, as well as the freshest seafood of our own country. What a blessing! To all who read this: gardeners, followers and … Continue reading Merry Christmas from the Grantham Gardeners