Fried Artichokes

2014-03-10 13.03.33

I got two more small artichokes from the plants I planted in heavy clay soil a few months ago. I have great expectations for good harvests next year. Because the artichokes were small and tender I decided to fry them. The last harvest I fried in  a batter of only flour and water, as is traditionally used in Italy when frying vegetables, but today I dipped the boiled artichoke in egg and covered it in crumbs. I love fried artichoke, frying brings out a flavour so delicious and that lingers in the mouth, making one wonder if one should destroy it by taking another sip of wine. ( Now that is some flavour)

Fried Artichoke

2 young, fresh artichokes with as much stem left on as possible. Do not cut the stems off as everything is edible.

1 egg, whisked

1/2 cup unflavoured dried breadcrumbs (Home made)

olive oil or vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

Boil the artichokes in salted water until just tender – about 10 minutes should do it.  Cut the artichokes in half and dip the pieces in the beaten egg. Add salt and pepper to the crumbs and  liberally cover the pieces in crumbs. Use a smallish saucepan that fits all the pieces and pour in the oil up to about 1 cm deep, when the oil is hot, slip the artichoke pieces in and cook until golden on all sides .

Serve immediately with a slice of lemon if you have any – I had mine without anything .

Zucchini, Garlic, Tomato and Onion

2014-03-10 12.52.12

 

The zucchini are growing fast and we have had quite a few this week. I like them small, about 10 cm long for this dish which can be a side, main meal with fresh bread, or a great vegetarian pasta sauce.

Zucchini, Garlic, Tomato and Onion 

4 small zucchini

1 large onion

1 large fresh tomato

3 cloves of garlic

4 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and Pepepr

Use a pan that can hold all the ingredients and heat the olive oil. Gently fry the onion until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic, zucchini and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook over gentle heat until the oil separates from the rest of the sauce. This is one of the first dishes I recall from my childhood, with all the ingredients harvested from the garden. 

 

Seen and Heard at Stadium Markets (Every Sunday)

The markets were successful where the quail eggs were concerned, as I sold out fairly early.  The market for quails as pets with benefits (an egg a day from the hens) is growing and next week I shall have a small quail pet house, big enough for 4 females and one male complete with quails, sand bath, feeder and drinker for sale. The house can be moved from place to place and since the quails are effective pest destroyers (they love worms, grubs, slugs etc) you can keep your lawn or vegetable patch in a healthy condition without using pesticides by letting the Quails “free range” from time to time.

Of the fruit stalls the plums were really eye catching, I did not buy this week because I harvested apples and pears from my own trees this week, but last week’s greengage purchase was a big hit with the kids. The vendor says he will have quinces soon, perhaps by next week.  I am getting my recipes out – quince crumble is high on the agenda!

Food seems to always do well at the markets and the guy who sells pineapple burgers sold out of product before closing time, so he is worth investigating.

Lapis Lazuli

AZURLIS Skin Care : Cruelty free, 100 % natural, 100% vegan DUNEDIN MADE

Being an elderly guy, I am not that much into skin care, but organic stuff always interests me. I went over and had a chat with the  founder and director who was in the stall, and was very impressed with her philosophy regarding the product. The Azurlis® founder Dr Fernanda da Silva Tatley is a Dunedin based molecular medical microbiologist. Raised in Portugal she studied at the University of Cape Town completing a PhD in molecular medical microbiology.  To quote from the website : ‘We are mindful of what we use on our skin, as this is the largest organ of our body and a major contact surface with the environment. Thus, by encouraging environmentally friendly awareness and practices, we are contributing to the sustainability of our unique planet and our own wellbeing. We believe that this is best achieved through adherence to organic certification of food, farming and personal care products.”  Another Dunedin business worthy of support! (I got a free sample and expect to be quite lovely in a few days time ;-)).

Their contact details are in http:/www.azurlis.co, tel. 021 250 1457

Once again I had very little time to wander around but there are many more interesting things to talk about next week .

The Curse of the Cookbooks

2014-03-06 09.22.32

I had to photograph the result of a cooking discussion or, cooking bickering, if you must.

The great thing about being self sufficient and eating from the vegetable patch is the joy of harvesting something one grew oneself. It is organic and fresh even if, at time whatever is harvested is gnarled and puny it still tastes wonderful. The bad thing is that one is held hostage by the blackbird that eats all the seedlings the chickens overlooked when they were free ranging last time. The seasons and climate, especially here in Dunedin , dictate whether things grow or not and the person in control of the garden constantly suffers arched inquiries as to why in the world so much (or so little) of something was planted

Sometimes there is a glut of something and then the search for a great recipe, or, often many great recipes of one particular vegetable or fruit depending on the amount harvested. The frantic paging through the cookbooks begin, and since my 200 plus books are all about regional Italian cooking the search can not be narrowed down to, say, Indian or Chinese, and mutterings of  ‘ it was always in this book, where has it gone’ are commonplace. A lot of time is spent getting side tracked when I see something fondly remembered or something I always wanted to try. Once the recipe is selected sudden resistance from the household to the ingredients could flare up, prompting the beginning of a new search and the hauling out of more books!