Category Archives: Sustainable Back Yard

Kentucky Fried Rabbit

with Polenta and Zucchini

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Even though I am not a loyal KFC customer, I know lots of people who are (Obviously not close friends of mine). When I stumbled upon an Italian food site claiming to have “acquired” the famous KFC recipe (tongue in cheek off course from the Italians) and disclosed it all on their page, I was interested. I am often asked how to cook rabbit as I have AMPLE supplies in my freezer, my standard answer always is that you can cook it in any way you cook chicken. Having made the connection between chicken and rabbit and having the secret recipe at hand, I was determined to try some KFR (Kentucky Fried Rabbit) or DFR (Dunedin Fried Rabbit) in my mission to eat every one of these NZ PESTS!!!

It was my turn to cook Saturday lunch and I thought I may as well try my new adventurous recipe on Mrs BYF. Weighing out the ingredients to the closest gram and carefully following the intricate steps of the recipe, I had some food on the plates about two hours later and to my BIG SURPRISE it was very good (Some of my regular KFC munchers even seriously commented it to be better than the famous KFC!!!) Watch out Colonel here comes New Zealand!!

Scleroderma bovista (Potato Earth Ball)

I am a keen mushroom hunter and would frequently collect what is available. Every so often a new type shows up and today I bumped into Potato Earth Balls, which I did not know, but they looked delicious and I brought them home. Luckily, before I could cook and taste, I identified them as Scleroderma bovista which are poisonous. I had a suspicion that they were probably not good when I cut them and the inside was a dark purple.

I shall live to try another some other day

Pasta ai Pomodori Verdi – Green Tomato Pasta

We still have a lot of green tomatoes. They have kept well in a dark spot with the potatoes, but we do need to use them before they start spoiling. We have been eyeing this recipe from Abbruzzo for a while, and today Mrs BYF decided to give it a try.  Because this is lockdown cooking she did not have all the ingredients the real recipe required, so here is the make do one. It was a very nice, fresh tasting pasta sauce, almost spring like. 

4 or 5 medium sized green tomatoes, diced

1 onion chopped

1 big pinch of nutmeg

1/2 cup marjoram

1 stalk of celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 hot chilli. We like hot food so use less if you want

6 tablespoons cooking oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Rigatoni or other cut pasta

Soften the onions in the cooking oil. Add the garlic and the chilli, cook until garlic browns a bit. Add the tomatoes and cook covered to release the juices. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. When the tomatoes have softened, add the marjoram and nutmeg. When the pasta is cooked ladle a soup spoon full of pasta water on to the sauce. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce. Mix and serve with plenty of grated parmigiano. 

ENJOY!!

Do not forget a glass of home made red!!

PESTO

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Pesto di Ortiche (Stinging Nettle) and Pesto di Crescione (Water Crescent)

On  my way back from feeding the chickens and picking Stinging Nettles, I noticed some Water Crescent on the side of the road and decided to forage some as well. Back home I parted with some nettle for Mrs BYF to make Ristto alle Ortiche, the rest I converted into a Pesto. I also made Watercress Pesto using the same recipe and had a comparative taste test. Nettle – 9, Watercress – 6

170 g Basil, Carrot Tops, Nettle or Cress

45 g Roasted Pine Nuts

40 g Fresh Garlic

5 g Salt

In a Mortar and Pestle crush all the ingredients very fine

270 ml Good Olive Oil

Hand mix the olive oil with the contents of the Mortar and Pestle very well

100 g Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Any strong hard grating cheese if you do not have Parmigiano

40 g Grated Pecorino Romano (Any sharp goat or sheep cheese if you do not have Pecorino) Today, I used my own home made cheese

90 g Soft unsalted Butter

Now fold the cheeses and butter into the mix

It is ready to eat, but the flavours develop and intensify over the next 24 hours

Enjoy on bread or in a pasta

Do not forget the glass of good home made wine!!!

Pesto freezes very well

Risotto alle Ortiche – Stinging Nettle Risotto

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Stinging Nettle Risotto

We have a friend who has a few stinging nettles growing in the chicken coop and in their vast vegetable garden. Every year at about this time we binge eat stinging nettle. We pick only the soft tips and once we have a basketfull we plan. Half goes to pesto, no question, but the rest will be used in all sorts of ways. Today the choice went to risotto. The risotto came out an intense green, hinting  at the wonderful flavour, spinach like, but much tastier. I am sharing Mrs BYF’s recipe and I wish I could let you have a taste!

I use my favorite cast iron pot, big enough to make risotto for 6, but this is for 2 hungry people who will not be getting any dinner.

1 big leek or 4 or 5 little ones. I use the small tender ones from our garden green leaves and all

1 green mild chili from the garden because it was there

1 and 1/2 cup of Arborio rice

200 g or more of fresh nettles. They cook away to almost nothing

1/2 cup olive oil

700 ml of stock – I used quail stock

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmigiano for the table

Blanch the rinsed nettles in boiling water, drain and put aside.

Heat the stock and keep it lightly simmering

In the pot you will be cooking the risotto, pour the oil and add the leeks. Cook over low heat until the leeks have softened. Add the rice, stir until the first rice kernels pop. Add a ladle full of stock, stir until almost absorbed, add another ladle full and stir, add all the nettles, then keep ladling the stock on the rice and stirring. The more you stir the creamier the risotto will be. Once the rice is al dente and still very moist, almost soupy it is ready. Serve immediately sprinkled with lots of Parmigiano.