I've posted it before, but here it is again. Do try it, it's delicious!

Lemon, fennel and rocket salad

1-2 lemons
2 oranges
1 large fennel bulb or 2 baby fennel
200g rocket
100g almonds, chopped (or pecans)
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise

Toasted sesame dressing:
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 tsp French mustard
Salt and ground black pepper

1. Peel the lemons and oranges, removing all the white pith. Cut into thin slices and remove any seeds. Thinly slice the fennel. Wash and dry the rocket and tear into pieces. Chill while making the dressing.

2. To make the dressing, heat the oil in a small pan over moderate heat. Add the sesame seeds and fry, stirring constantly, until lightly golden. Remove from the heat and cool. Pour the mixture into a small jug, whisk in the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

3.Combine the fruit, fennel, rocket, pecans and olives in a shallow serving bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.

I can't wait to try all these. We are going to have a great book here folks.
Spatz, I was wondering if you have a recipe for Sauerbraten?. I had it when I was in Frankfurt. It had an amazing sauce with it, made of pistachio nuts and cream and things. Do you know of it?

Jatz biscuits, each with a slice of Roma tomato atop...
for the more daring, ground black pepper too.

And tonight I added a drizzle of oil from my jar of fetta cheese, garlic, chillies and olive oil. And a soupcon (Can't do cedillas) of Reggiano...oh, and a few finely minced capers....and mashed Kalamata olives...a drop of lime juice...finely torn basil leaves....and substitute the Jatz with slices of grilled thick slices of baguette, smeared with best olive oil...

A glass of good shiraz and you wouldn't call the king your uncle...

Way to go Shax!
A man after my own heart!
That's a recipe I only very narrowly avoided tonight, Only because I bought some Marinara mix & really had to eat it, stir fried with my own pots, cabbage & chilli & washed down by a bottle of something on special at the bottle shop.
Sorry Finbar!

Shame shame shame!

Finally, time to contribute. This is my favourite entree at the moment, though you might have trouble sourcing Bresaola, the air-cured beef that originated from Valtellina near Lombardy. I got my last batch from a deli in Castlecrag for $70 a kilo! Doubtless the resident gormand will chime in.

Layer the wafer-thin slicees of Bresaola on a white platter, top with sliced fresh mozzarella, a semi-dried tomato wedge* (see below), torn leaf of sweet basil. Drizzle w/ EVOO and best Balsamic. Serve at room temperature, of course.

*Semi-dry tomato wedges in a spray-oiled tray at 100C for 1.5hrs so they are still somewhat juicy. Accelerate the caramelising process by wiping each piece of tomato with the back of a spoon dipped in sweet chilli sauce. And sprinkle them w/Maldon salt. Check tray every 1/2hr as even the best-made ovens have uneven temperature. Shift tomatoes accordingly.

Mmmmmmmmm. Bresaola. Yum. I gorged myself on it last time we were over there.

Travel update. We've decided, in the first instance, to take a place over there for three months, using it as a base to look for a place for the balance of the couple of years. Preferable to having to commit to a place for a couple of years sight unseen. I'm in email touch with the sister of a friend of a friend who operates a rental agency in Tuscany. With her intimate knowledge of the properties, and photos via email, we're prepared to take a property for three months sight unseen (well, not physically inspected by us) on her recommendation. Last night she emailed info on three or four properties, a couple of which seem to be strong candidates. All in Tuscany, not all that far from Florence, which is a pleasant surprise. One of them is between Florence and Fiesole, a ten minute or forty minute walk from Florence. At this point, late March or early April would seem to be the time for blast off.

That's a ten minute drive or forty minute walk from Florence.

I thought it was maybe 10 minutes to walk there, then 40 minutes home carrying the shopping!

And the extra food in the belly, and the bottle of chianti. HIC.

Adam, I haven't got a recipe for Sauerbraten. Have never even eaten it. I think. Not that I remember anyway. Sorry. :) But I could volunteer a recipe for Rinderbraten (something like a pot roast) which is simple and soooo easy and has impressed everybody so far. The meat is tender and tasty, and so is the sauce.
It's a recipe my grandma passed on to my mum and she passed it on to me. I can pass it on to you. *grins* Just give me some time. Please nag me, if you don't receive it in the next few days.
You have to eat this with Spaetzle. That's the German version of gnocchi - sort of.

Spaetzle? Is that the one you create by pushing the mix through the holes in a collander?

Auntie P. I'm making that pear dessert again tomorrow night for Mrs finbar's birthday. This time I'll take a photo!

Rinderbraten is like Sauerbraten, but with the latter, you use pickled meat, like a silverside or the like.

~Happy Birthday~ to Mrs Finbar! Can't wait to see that dessert!

BTW, I saw your namesake in a movie my daughter hired yesterday - the main character was called Fin for short tho. Think the title was something like The Station Agent, but I often don't recall the names of movies and books etc acurately, so don't quote me :P

Sorry, Auntie P, I had every intention of photographing the pears, but by that time of the night, having already catered two courses for 9 people, I just plain forgot. What I did do, though, was record pictorially the procedure for turning out a different spin on lamb shanks. As a vegie, you might find it of only passing interest. I'll post the pics later when I've got time.

In the meantime, I can post a photo of the birthday party gatecrasher: {{gwi:2114094}}

Here's a simple little dish for yez :)...
Baby pumkins still a light Green colour maybe six to eight inches long boiled and cut into quarters along with some boiled green beans.
Near submerse in Olive Oil and squeezed fresh lemon as well:)..
Dipped fresh bread in ye Oil n what a treat:)...
Cheers
Peter

here is a recipie that is really nice which my motherinlaw gave me from croatia. It goes well with pickled cabbage, a good tomatoe sauce. Use it instead of pasta rice etc.
take some plain flour a good few cups, three or four eggs, splash of oil, and enough water to make a not too runny dough. Beat untill air bubble appear with a wooden spoon. Cut day old crusty bread into cubes about 14 to 1/2 a loaf, and mix through the dough.
Boil a big pot of water.
now get a couple of clean teatowels and spoon the mixture on the teatowel into a sausage shape the size of swiss roll cake or maybe a tad smaller. roll up gently and place into the boiling water. I leave the teatowel ends on the lip of the saucpan for easy removal. Place saucpan lid on and boil gently for about ten minutes or till cooks and solid.
Unwrap the dough sausages and slice. Dip in butter and arrange on plate.
You can cook these a head of time dip in butter and arrange in a casserole dish and then just warm up in the oven. They freeze really well too.

That sounds really nice as a variation on pasta.

jb that sounds really interesting, does it go crispy in the oven at the end or do you eat it soft like pasta?
And I just have to ask, can your m in law get some tom seeds? (sorry, I couldn't help myself!:-)

Happy Birthday, rob, hope it was a goodun.Adam x x x x x xx x x

to answer your question no they dont go crispy in the oven but you need a lid on them. and sarah No I dont think so but I could ask her sister who lives next door. LOL

Mrs finbar strikes again, finding a use for the myriad ripe tomatoes she keeps stumbling over on the kitchen bench.

Tomato chutney, made from assorted Ste Lucies, Giordanes and the unidentified RL red beefsteaks that came out of the Soldacki packet: {{gwi:2114095}}

And put to good use on chargrilled organic chicken sausages with potatoes sauteed with sage and rosemary: {{gwi:2114096}}

I have to tell you, the chutney is gorgeous. She dug into the cookbook collection and found one from the early 1960s containing an old-fashioned tomato chutney recipe. Here it is with her amendments:

3 lb ripe tomatoes (but not over-ripe)
1/2 oz allspice powder and 1 oz mustard seeds tied in muslin
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 pint good red wine vinegar
4 oz minced shallots (eschallots, not spring onions)
4 oz sugar
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1 chilli deseeded and minced

Wipe the tomatoes, bake in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes or until the skins split. Remove the tomatoes from the oven, peel, chop and place in a pan with the minced shallots and chilli. Add the allspice powder and mustard seeds in the muslin and heat until simmering. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, then add sugar, seasonings and vinegar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then continue cooking gently until the liquid reduces and the chutney thickens. With the amount of juice in heirloom tomatoes, this reduction can take quite a while, up to an hour. Cool, remove the muslin bag, pour the chutney into jars and seal well.

If there's any left, we'll bring some to Rutherglen.

Drool. then Drool. then Drool.

Me too!
Roasted tom chutney has to be a winner!

Wow oh wow oh wow! Just stuffed my face with Mrs finbar's Salad Nicoise. Oh wow oh wow! It's simply delicious.

finbar, please tell Mrs finbar that this recipe is absolutely fabulous! :)

I was able to use mostly ingredients from the garden. Just sooo satisfying to go and harvest what you need for a meal.

Glad you liked it, Spatz. Mrs finbar will be, too. I think the key to it is (a) the anchovies in the dressing; and (b) lashings of dressing for mopping up with bread afterwards.

Found this little gem ... haven't tried it yet but it sounds good!

Italian Green Tomato Pickle

Makes about 3 cups and doubles easily

Snappy, spicy, and a perfect lift for so many dishes, this seasoning found in the city of Lecce, in southern Italy's Apulia region, is an old way of putting up the last (or first) of the tomato harvest. There, they are often small oval green tomatoes with pointed tips. Sometimes the tomatoes, in their marinade of garlic, chillies, basil, and mint, are set out on their own as part of an antipasto. On other occasions they season vegetable sautés, soups, tomato sauces, are sautéed into simple pasta dishes, blended with scrambled eggs, and are added to meat stews and ragoûts. Try a few spoonfuls the next time you sauté spinach, sweet peppers, or onions. They're excellent on sandwiches, especially ones of roasted vegetables, or good ham.

Ingredients:

500 g green tomatoes, cored and cut into ½ inch pieces
2 tbs salt
2 sun-dried tomatoes (not under oil), soaked and minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs minced fresh hot red chilli
6 mint leaves, chopped
12 basil leaves, minced
about 4 cups white wine vinegar (7% acid)
about ½ cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a china or glass bowl combine tomatoes and salt, cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Turn into a sieve and rinse briefly under cold, running water. Toss tomatoes with garlic, chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, and herbs.
Collect small jars and lids adding up to about 4 cups capacity. Wash them in hot soapy water, then immerse in water in a large pot. Bring lids and jars to a simmer, lift out with tongs and fill with tomato mixture to within 1 inch of jar's lip. Add enough vinegar to cover, topping off with a little oil. Seal, cool, and refrigerate.
Marinate 4 days before serving. Top off with more vinegar and seal after each serving.
Will keep 6 months in the refrigerator as long as they are totally covered with vinegar after each use.

I have two Golden Hubbard pumpkins to eat, one ripe, one not, that fell off the back fence.
I'd like to make pumpkin gnocchi with the ripe one but when I've tried it before I've ended up with a hideous gloopy mess (don't laugh finbar!)
Please help, for the kids sake if not mine!

Have a look at the site below, its a funny read with some recipes in there as well. The roasted tomato sauce is going to get a go this coming weekend, sounds yummy. Bruce from up over posted the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Good Read

The trap with pumpkin in gnocchi is the water content. Better to bake it. Here you go. Ingredients for four.

1kg pumpkin
1 whole egg
150g plain flour
85g parmesan, freshly grated
A little freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

TO SERVE:

60g butter, melted
50g parmesan, freshly grated
Sage leaves

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the pumpkin into pieces and roast (skin on) till quite soft. (You can also steam it, but I think even steaming leaves the flesh too damp) The pulp should be dry but soft. Remove the skin and put the flesh through a mouli or potato ricer. Or use a potato masher, but don't over-mash. The pulp needs some texture. Don't use a blender because you'll end up with no texture at all.

Beat the egg, add salt and pepper to taste. Mix with the pumpkin pulp, flour, parmesan and nutmeg. You should end up with a soft, workable dough. Not a sticky one.

Form the gnocchi. Take pieces of the dough and use floured hands to roll them (on a floured surface) until you have long "sausages" of dough about 3/4" thick. Cut the "sausages" into about 1" - 1 1/2" pieces. Dust with extra flour to make sure they don't stick together. One by one, run each piece down the tines of a fork, using gentle pressure, to create the little ridges in the dough that will hold the sauce.

Get lots of boiling salted water on the go. Drop the gnocchi into the water without overcrowding. They're cooked when they rise to the surface and float.

Meanwhile, you've melted the butter in a pan with the sage leaves over medium-low heat. The butter should be light brown. Remove the gnocchi from the boiling with a slotted spoon, drain well, place carefully into the pan with the melted butter and sage. Toss gently to coat, turn out onto warmed plates, sprinkle with the extra parmesan, and serve.

Yum!

Yum! I love gnocchi, that sounds great with the sage leaves too - I often have them with some pasta as a quick meal or with slow-roasted-pumpkin rissotto - mmmm!

mudlark, who's too tired to attempt anything but a reheat tonight :(

Thanks finbar, that sounds great. Just one question, can I make it in the afternoon & cook it that night or does it need to be used straight away?

The danger with keeping them is that they will dry out. But if you make sure they're well dusted with flour to stop them sticking together, you can layer them - not squashed together - between sheets of baking paper in an airtight container. They will certainly keep from afternoon to evening.

It's not ideal, but I've also frozen them in the past when I've made excess. You just have to make sure the container is well sealed to keep out any moisture. Let them thaw completely before you prise them apart very carefully.

Here's one of my fave's that I make when the silverbeet starts to grow well:

Lamb Saag (Lamb & Spinach curry)

1.4 kg chopped, steamed silverbeet (or food processed if you prefer)

Paste base:
Process the following ingredients to form a paste with 5 tbsp of water:
3 onions coarsely chopped
5cm ginger
8 cloves of garlic
1 green cayenne chili

1.4 kg lamb pieces (I use the meat from a lamb leg cut into BIG (2.5cm) cubes
8 tbsp corn oil (or other quality vegetable oil)

Spices:
1 cinnamon stick
7 whole cloves
7 cardamon pods
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp ground coriander seed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp tumeric

1 tomato chopped
2 tbsp natural yogurt
1 1/2 tsp salt
1tbsp Garam Marsala

Brown lamb pieces in vegetable oil and then set aside.

Using the same oil cook the cinnamon, cloves, cardamon and bay leaves until the bay leaves start to darken, then add the paste base and cook for around ten minutes, adding water if required to prevent sticking.

Add the coriander, cumin and tumeric, 2 minutes later add the tomato, 5 minutes later the yogurt and finally 2 minutes later the lamb and juices. Once mixed add the silverbeet and salt.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 50 minutes or until the meat is tender. You shouldn't need to add any water but this depends on the lamb you use.

Once the meat is tender add the garam marsala and serve.

That sounds incredible Fin. Love a good lamb dish. We just got back from Guyra. They have a lamb and potato festival every year, not as exotic as your recipe methinks.

Last night I made my most popular and simple creation of the 05 tomato and fishing season...

Mahi Mahi a la Med'
(This is for two, adjust accordingly. But I don't worry about the quantities and just make it by feel and eye)

Take about 600-800g of fresh fish fillets, skinned and deboned and cut into 6in long by 2in wide slivers. I have mahi mahi or dolphin fish at the moment, but you could substitute kingfish, Spanish or spotted mackerel, yellowfin or albacore tuna, bonito, snapper or trevally. You want a lightly oily white-fleshed fish not a really oily species like farmed salmon, nor do you want a delicate blue-eye or whiting. Wild trout (not farmed ocean trout), silver perch or Murray cod would work. Imperative that the fish be fresh.

Take about 2lbs of mixed heirloom tomatoes, diced into largish cubes, or use halved cherries. Best to have yellows, reds and greens.
Half a tin on Italian butter beans or borlotti beans, drained and rinsed. Sometimes I got the whole tin if not having bread.
About 18 good meaty green and black olives, seeded
Half an onion, halved then finely sliced
1/4 garlic glove, finely chopped
Half a handful of chopped parsely
Half a handful of fresh oregano leaves
Slug of very good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Slug of very good White Wine Vinegar (or red-wine [cab sav] vinegar if fish is more oily or strong like say mackerel and tuna)

Mix the above and let rest while you prepare the dressing for the fish...

Hand Pounded Salsa Verde

Large handful of fresh oregano
Garlic, 1/4 clove chopped
Small dash of top-quality EVO oil
Small dash of top-quality (white or red wine) vinegar
Cracked black pepper
Salt flakes

Throw all the above into a mortar and pound with a pestle till you make a rough green sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning, but don't be heavy handed with the salt as the olives above have salt.

Now take your boneless Mahi Mahi or fish pieces and dry sear over a very high heat, a white-hot pan or BBQ hotplate, very quickly. This fish won't stick if it's a seasoned hotplate or non-stick pan. Take a large white plate, arrange a bed of the tomato mix on the bottom and top with a vertical stack of fish and drizzle or dab the Salsa Verde about. You could sprinkle a few real capers (washed of sal)t or sliced caperberries about if you like them or pound these into the Salsa Verde.

A little crusty bread should be served to mop-up the dressing and juices. A glass or two of cold-climate Reisling is a great acompliment.

As with most simple dishes the key is the quality of ingredients. Line-caught fish, heirloom tomatoes, homegrown herbs, gourmet olives, and imported oils and vinegars, used sparingly, make a wonderful pairing.

I will take a photo next time.

Cheers, Grub.

Wow Grub, that sounds fantastic!
So when are you hosting a tommy dinner???????

Probably after the renovation is completed. Not much sitting room here.

Here's one my family absolutely love. It will even entice my Bendigo based son to come for a visit. I have been avoiding salty foods recently, so tried the simmer method and could barely notice the difference. As long as the eggplants are fresh and young, bitterness is not an issue. Seems to apply to people, too, come to think of it. :) I (once)tried substituting low fat Mozzarella in an effort to be 'good' but the topping went rather rubbery, so it would need to be covered with foil for the first 20 min in the oven.

Eggplant Lasagne (Nearly Vegetarian)

(serves 6-8)

Ingredients
1 Kg shredded mozzarella cheese  more if desired
4 lge shiny purple/black egg plants

Sauce
2 lge tins chopped tomatoes 800+ gms
2 tins tomato & onion capellery 440 gms (substitute 1 lge tin tomatoes & garlic)
2 lge onions diced (sautéed)
200g chopped mushrooms  more if desired
3-500g chopped bacon
140g tomato paste
250ml red wine (after taste testing of course!)
2 teaspoons Oregano
2 tbspns parsley
2-3 lge cloves garlic crushed
pepper & salt to taste (be careful  err on having less as there could still be salt on the eggplants)

Instructions for Sauce
Simmer all together until liquid thickens into a nice sauce consistency (approx 2-3 hours). Add extra water as necessary.

Slice eggplant approx 1/4" thick, layer into a bowl, salting each layer (quite heavily) all over. Leave overnight. Pour off liquid, rinse well and pat/press dry with paper towel or tea towel. (Rinsing is crucial to remove salty taste. Salt was to draw out bitter liquid).

Fry until golden brown in oil with a little butter and put on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Alternative would be to avoid the salting/frying stage and simmer in water until tender. Frying is tastier. Bad things always are!

Lightly grease lasagne/baking tray, then place layers of sauce, cheese and eggplant until the baking tray is full. Top with cheese.

Cook in medium oven approx 1 hour and until cheese is melted and lightly brown.

Lasagne should Âset and when slightly cooled, be easy to slice and serve. Freezes well. Sauce can be used for other recipes.

Like other dishes of its kind, this tastes much better the day after cooking, if it can last that long.
Enjoy

Woori

I've been making a chargrilled chicken breast adapted from a Giorgio Locatelli recipe. It works best with an organic, free-range breast for reasons of flavour and moisture.

Trim the chicken breast. Use a very sharp knife to slice it in half laterally, cutting from the thick end to the thin end, ending up with two, thinner chicken breasts. They're going to be hammered out flat, doubling their size, so if they're already large (in area terms), cut them across into halves. Make sure you remember which are the "outside" sides of the breasts, the sides on which the skin would have been.

Place a section of breast between two sheets of Glad Wrap on a chopping board. Use the milder side of a meat tenderiser to beat the breast flat without smashing holes in the meat. A rolling pin will do the job, too. Strike down and sideways, stretching the meat, ending up with a thin piece of chicken of (hopefully) equal thickness all over. Repeat the process with the rest of the sections of breast.

Roughly chop a clove of garlic (or more than one, according to taste). Add the garlic to half a cup of Italian parsley on a chopping board. Mince the lot together with a sharp knife. Tip the mixture into a small bowl, add salt and pepper, a sprinkling of dried chilli flakes, and enough good extra virgin olive oil to create a wet paste.

Smear the wet paste all over over one side of the flattened chicken breasts. And, in particular, onto the "inside" of the breasts that had an "outside" or skin side. The marinade won't be absorbed as effectively on the skin side. Let the chicken sit for half an hour or so for the flavours to be absorbed.

Heat a ridged griddle pan till it's very hot. Carefully lay the chicken - marinade-side down - in the pan making sure it's flat on the pan's surface. If the pan is hot enough, and the chicken thin enough, it shouldn't take more than about 45 seconds before the chicken is ready to be turned. As soon as you see the edges of the chicken turning white, it's ready to turn. The key is not to overcook the chicken. And, with the chicken as thin as it is (or should be), it's just about impossible to undercook it. Turn the chicken carefully, making sure, again, that it's flat against the pan. Another 30 to 45 seconds should see it ready. If you're working in numbers, set the cooked chicken aside on a warm plate while you do the rest. If you haven't got a ridged griddle pan, a large frying pan coated with a film of oil will do.

Plate the chicken, grind some pepper over it, drizzle with some good extra virgin oil and serve with a lemon wedge. I serve it with wilted spinch and potato wedges sauteed with herbs.

They sounds easy. Way to go.

Woori have you tried grilling the eggplant? I slice it then brush or spray on a little olive oil, you get the same effect as frying but much less oil. Like you I've found the younger fresh eggplants are not bitter.

No Sarah, I haven't but will give it a try. Just picked enough eggplants to make another today. Ain't fresh vegies the best?

Woori

A good receipe from croatia to use up those plums is to make a potato dough, cool mashed spud, some eggs to bind, and some flour. Add enough flour to form a dough. If the potatoe is cold you dont needs as much flour and they come out much lighter and nicer I think. My mother inlaw mixes the flour while still slightly warm but you use alot of flour this way.
take handfull of dough, flatten with hand put in a plum and wrap the dough around it, and drop into a pot of boiling water. They sink to the bottom, when they rise take out put in bowl drizzle with butter and a good sprinkling of sugar and cinamin. delish.
I usually make loads and put them in a large casserol dish. These are nice with apricots too. Jan

My favourite is with apricots! Take out seed from apricot and replace with sugar cube (if the apricots aren't very sweet).

We usually had them with breadcrumbs browned in butter. Sprinkled over the dumplings. Plus sugar, if required.
Old recipe from Austria. :)

Thanks for bringing back great childhood memories!

Jan are your family Croatian? My Croatian work mates bring in the BEST cakes, leftovers from family parties etc.
I've also suffered from homemade slivovic!
I'm feeling a bit sad as our rather tempermental supervisor left today, I'll probably have to have a sip or two in his memory I think!

Sarah, how're the Croatian tomato plants going? Did you have any success?

PP

They're goning well Patrina, but due to the storm knocking a tree down on their new bed & the fence, they haven't gone in yet. The fence is fixed now so I'm hoping to get them in this weekend, hopefully it won't be too late.
I've still got plenty of seed so can sow some more next year.
I guess I should get off the internet & get out there!

sarah no Im not croation but inlaws are. Im celtic heritage so only bangers and mash my side LOL. The only interesting dish my side make is spotted dick. Which I must say is very nice LOL.
I love going to the inlaws for dinner. I get all her recipies and now make most of her dishes for the DH. He isnt game to say his mums is better as he likes his grub too much and then wouldnt be fed. LOL. Jan

Sarah, that's good to know - I'll look forward to hearing what the tomatoes taste like and how they perform for you.

PP