Gluten free- Grain free - Dairy free- Refined Sugar Free- Nut Free- Egg Free
In 2011 we planted our first fig tree. In 2013 we had a bumper crop and didn't quite know what to do with them all. We ate them plain, on rice crackers with Manchego (spanish sheet cheese) or sheep fetta or soft goat cheese, on cereal and porridge, stewed or caramelised, and as a wonderful 'hero' element in this fresh summer salad. We've never had such a great crop since! There are no quantities for this - just add everything to your own liking. Ingredients and Method: In a bowl, or on a plate place:
Add freshly cracked pepper to taste. Gluten free - Grain free - Dairy free - sugar free - egg free - nut free
For me, Christmas doesn't quite feel finished until I've cooked up the ham bone in a beautiful pea and ham soup. A few years ago I tried a new recipe which I've stuck to ever since. The original can be found in Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine, August 2010 issue, but I made a couple of little tweaks of my own. Mine came out a little thinner that some of the more traditional recipes I've used in the past, and with the addition of frozen peas, it feels a bit more like a summer or spring soup than a winter soup, which is rather appropriate I suppose! The nicest surprise came on the day after- I grabbed some left overs out of the fridge, spooned it into a bowl, licked the spoon, and realised how fresh and fabulous it tasted cold! Maybe it was fact that is was a scorching 42 degree day, but I polished off a large bowl of cold soup and loved it. It's also thicker when it's cold. This is the kind of soup that you make on a lazy day at home when you'll be around for a few hours. You don't need to be watching it the whole time, but it takes about 3 hours all together. Ingredients
Method Heat the oil in a large stock pot over low-medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until tender (about 10 minutes). Add ham hocks or bones, cover with cold water (about 4 litres), bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook until ham is falling from the bone (1 - 1 .5 hours). Remove the bones from saucepan, set aside to cool and, when cool enough to handle, remove skin and bone, coarsely shred meat and set aside. Meanwhile, add the split green peas and chopped carrots to the stock and simmer until very tender (45 minutes -1 hour). Add baby peas (reserve some for garnish if desired) and simmer until bright green (1 -2 minutes). Purée in batches in a blender until smooth (or in the pot with a hand held 'stick mixer'). Add shredded ham to soup (reserve a little for garnish if desired), season to taste and keep warm till ready to serve. This is great served with crusty bread. Gluten free - dairy free - sugar free - nut free- contains eggs Our summer garden is starting to grow beautifully but my zucchinis are not ready yet. My wonderful friend Fiona, however, already has an abundance and is keeping me in steady supply of both zucchini's and eggs from her chooks. This slice is the obvious choice to combine the two! I use bacon in mine, but this is totally optional if you want to make it vegetarian. I try to use organic bacon that has been naturally smoked, to avoid nitrates and nitrites. If you're going to leave it out, I'd suggest adding a herb like rocket (arugula), parsley, basil or oregano to give it a bit more flavour, and add extra salt. This slice is wonderful fresh for lunch or dinner with a side salad, or it also makes a great lunch box addition for school or work. It's nice and firm (unlike other egg-based dishes like frittata), so it travels well. It's also great for a weekend breakfast. It's a great one to get the kids involved with cooking (my kids are always keen to use the grater and crack eggs), and they always ask for more! UPDATE: I have made a Paleo/ grain free version of this that works really well. Here are the ingredients for both version- the only changes for the Paleo version are to increase the eggs and oil, eliminate the cheese, and change the flour. Method remains the same. Regular Gluten Free Version:
Paleo Version:
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