Leeks are a vegetable I always give space to in my kitchen garden, as tender young leeks are so different from the fat, over-mature specimens shops often offer. Young leeks add an extra dimension to slow-cooked winter foods and there is nothing like their buttery fragrance, filling the kitchen with warmth when the weather is at its coldest outside. Although pencil leeks are now more widely available in major city markets, at the wrong time of year they can still be woody in their centre so I have always opted to grow my own for the assurance of picking them at their very best. Home gardening can change opinions of previously passed over vegetables in an instant, and never more so than with the comparison of a tough old leek past its prime, to the sweetest, melt-in-your-mouth leek just picked from your garden. -MB Read the rest...
Oh, there have been many! But on our most recent trip to Italy, we had been recommended to a restaurant on the coast near Brindisi called Miramare di Michele; unpretentious and full of families and general hubbub and very relaxed service. With a platter of Crudo Mare - the seafood so fresh and just opened to order; all raw on a tray of ice; prawns; mussels; squid; clams; oysters and scallops accompanied by a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and a lemon - and it was perfection. Followed by caserecce with vongole and mussels and tiny tomatoes and trofie with gamberetti, the very red small prawns on a tomato base; food of such flavour and freshness. I will never forget it. -MB Read the rest...
June 01 2017
News
I cannot tell you how excited I am about a very special upcoming event at the Farm Shop, with proceeds going towards bringing a very special guest to Australia. Read the rest...
Blind baking pastry, that is initially baking an unfilled pastry case at a high temperature before adding the filling, achieves a much better result in terms of flavour and preventing sogginess. To blind bake, wrap rolled-out pastry around a rolling pin, then gently unroll it over a prepared tart tin, pressing the pastry into the base and sides of the tin. Prick the base with a fork, then chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to help prevent shrinkage. Line the pastry case with foil and cover with pastry weights or dried beans and bake in a 200C preheated oven for 12 - 15 minutes. -MB Read the rest...
Sour cream pastry is a stalwart of my cooking; I use it to make all variety of tarts and pies, both sweet and savoury. It's flaky and moreish, and it makes the perfect casing for this mushroom, Verjuice and thyme filling! I've never know this pastry to fail, but it's good to know beforehand that the amount of sour cream needed can vary each time you make it, depending on the conditions. Start with about two-thirds of the sour cream at first, then add more as needed. Read the rest...
