Category Archives: Vegetables – Recipes

PASTA CAVOLFIORE (Broccoli Pasta)

Ingredients 

1 medium cauliflower broken in to florets

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

6 anchovies

6 tablespoons of olive oil for the sauce 

6 tablespoons of olive oil for roasting 

190g of any short cut dry pasta

1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

salt and pepper to taste   

preheat the oven to 200C

Put the raw cauliflower in a bowl, add the olive oil and turn the couliflower over until the florets are well covered. Put the florets in a roasting pan that  will take all the cauliflower in one level. Roast the florets until they are golden. The tips can be a little blackened because that enhances the nutty flavour 

When the cauliflower has roasted, put the pasta on the stove to boil

Use a pot that can contain the florets and pasta together, put the 6 tablespoons of olive oil in the pot and add the garlic and all the anchovies. Turn the heat to low and brown the garlic, the anchovy will melt in to the oil

When the pasta has cooked, save 1/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Pour the pasta directly into the anchovy and garlic sauce and mix well. Add a bit of the pasta water to the mix if needed. Serve immediately, put the cheese on the table so everyone can add cheese to taste  

STROMBOLI

We expected 2 friends for dinner tonight and I decided to bake a STROMBOLI instead of the normal bread I always make

I used my standard bread dough recipe, using my own organic milled wheat flour and rolled it out about 0.5 cm thick. Dressed it with Fresh baby Spinach, Caciocavallo cheese, Tomatoes, Capocollo, Salami, Garlic, Parsley, Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper – Most of the Produce, Cheese and Salumi are my own produce

Roll it up thightly

Proof it in one of my spare egg incubators

Bake at 225 C for 30 minutes, turn the heat down to 190 C and bake for another 30 minutes

Ready for the guests

The end product was not only visually appealing, but met with the approval of all !!

RISOTTO alla BARBABIETOLA (Beetroot Risotto)

Winter in Dunedin means that the garden is not very productive and we need to eat what is available. Beetroot seems to ignore the cold and the plants were producing throughout winter – fortunately I planted enough. The problem of too little vegetable varieties becomes more intense as one runs out of ideas as to how the beetroot is going to be cooked today. I harvested some more beetroot and asked Mrs BYF to do something else with it this time and she came up with this wonderful Beetroot Risotto – I am now sorry I did not plant more.

Ingredients

4 small or 2 large Beetroot (about 500g) washed but not trimmed 

1 whole Garlic

4 Scallions (because we have lots in the garden) finely chopped, including the tender parts of the green leaves. 

1 1/2 cups of risotto rice like Arborio or Carnaroli

500ml of Stock. Any good stock will do of which we again have ample supplies of. 

Olive oil for frying 

1 tablespoon of Butter to add at the end. 

Salt and Pepper to taste. 

Grated Parmigiano reggiano to serve. 

Pre heat the oven to 200C. Brush the beetroot and the garlic with olive oil and roast until cooked, about 40 minutes. Don’t leave them too long, they get dry and wrinkly.

When the beetroot and garlic are done and have cooled enough to handle, trim and chop the beetroot ( I never remove the skin) if you chop finely enough you don’t have to blend anything. Squeeze the garlic over the  beetroot and set aside. 

Heat the stock to just below boiling point

Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to a pan, big enough to contain the cooked rice, scallions and beetroot add the chopped scallions and fry until translucent. Add the rice and fry for a few minutes. Add half a glass of good white wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Start adding the stock a few tablespoons at a time, don’t make a soup. Keep stirring while adding stock. Each grain of rice should have a coating of moisture and float separately from the others. Keep this up until the rice is almost done, then add the garlic and beetroot mix to the rice. Cook and stir until the rice is tender enough to taste.  Adjust salt and pepper. Add the butter and stir very well before serving hot onto heated plates

Top with Parmigiano reggiano and some chopped parsley

ENJOY with a glass of GOOD home made red wine !!

Frittata di Uova di quaglia, Cardi e Asparagi

Quail Egg Frittata with Cardoon and Asparagus

Clean and dice a handful of the cardoon and boil in salted water for about 5 minutes. Dice a handful of Pancetta and fry in a pan large enough for all the ingredients. Ad the Cardoon to the pan and fry with the Pancetta for about 5 minutes. Ad pepper to taste (salt is already in the Pancetta)

Crack about 30 Quail Eggs and ad a handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, two tablespoons of water and ground Black Pepper. Beat the eggs slightly with a fork and ad to the Pancetta and Cardoon. Fry slowly until almost set. Now place the pan in the oven with the grill turned to high.

Cut the tips of the Asparagus and fry in another pan with butter and Black Pepper for about 2 -3 minutes.

When the Frittata has set in the oven, decorate with the fried Asparagus and return to the oven until brown. Remove and drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Black Pepper and fresh Basil leaves

Eat with toasted Wholemeal Organic Bread and wash it down with a good wine – Today I tried my Honey Wine, which I make to be dry and it was all GOOD!!

Pasta Finocchi e Acciughe (Pasta with Fennel and Anchovies)

Today the garden delivered a handful of parsley, a small fennel and a few spring onions, enough produce to inspire Mrs BYF to make lunch

Ingredients

1 small fennel or half of a big one thinly sliced

5 spring onions sliced, using the green leaves as well if  they are young

Pinch of flaked chilli

6 anchovies – chopped

2 cloves of garlic – crushed

100g toasted breadcrumbs 

50g chopped parsley 

6 tablespoons olive oil 

Boil the pasta water and add salt and pasta while making the sauce

Heat the oil in a large pan, big enough to contain the pasta and sauce. Cast iron is good for retaining the heat. Fry the onions until soft but not coloured, add the garlic. Add the sliced fennel and braise until slightly cooked, retaining some crunchy ness. Add the anchovy. When the pasta is cooked, sprinkle the chilli and parsley over the sauce, season with salt and pepper then add a few tablespoons of pasta water and stir.  Drain and tip the pasta in to the pan with the sauce and mix well. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the pasta. Stir to combine, serve with a generous helping of Parmigiano cheese.

ENJOY !

Do not forget to compliment it with some homemade red wine