Roast Lamb Jamie Style….

It's been quite a while since my last recipe post and so I thought being the weekend I would share this amazingly delicious Roast Lamb!!! I stumbled across this Jamie Oliver recipe a few months ago in the weekend paper. Its been cooked many times over since then because it seriously is so easy and delicious. I also love that it can be served with a trayful of roasted golden veggies or with a simple salad.

So, you will need…

2.5-3 kg leg of lamb
100g unsalted, softened butter
1/2 bunch thyme leaves
1/2 bunch rosemary leaves
4 unpeeled red onions, halved
2 garlic bulbs, cloves separated

Preheat your oven to 220 deg celcius. Score the lamb all over 1/2 cm apart and about 3mm deep- like you would with a ham! Make a herb butter by popping the butter, thyme and rosemary into a blender and whizzing well to combine. Season with some salt and pepper. I also cheat by chopping herbs finely then using hands mix into butter. The messier option, but less washing up and still effective!

Arrange the red onions and garlic cloves in a large roasting tray. Place lamb on veggies in tray then rub the herb butter generously all over the top of the lamb. Put into oven to cook until meat is to your liking. Jamie's tip for 'blushing' meat is roasting 10 minutes for each 450g, plus an extra 20 minutes at the end. When lamb is cooked, allow another 10-20 minutes to rest.

Based on these times, our 2.5kg roast needed an hour and ten minutes in the oven and extra time for resting.

The suggested side for this dish was a celeriac mash and a heavenly gravy. I tried the gravy and it was, hands down, the best gravy I have ever made. Can highly recommend.

So…recipe for gravy goes like this…

Drain any 'fat' or 'oil' from the roasting tray, leaving onion and garlic remnants and other meaty bits. Squish the onion and garlic into the tray. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of gravy over the tray, mixing and coating the onions and garlic. Pour in a 'glug' of port and a litre of hot chicken stock. Place on high heat and mix so that it is well combined. Keep stirring, allowing gravy to reduce. Pour through a sieve if needed, however, my gravy turned out so smooth and flavoursome.
Please note- I have also made without Port and still tastes good.

Otherwise, I served ours with some roasted Potatoes and a simple slaw made up of red cabbage, carrot and avocado lightly coated with some aioli mayo and some home made mint sauce.

And I dont have to mention the yummy leftover lamb sandwiches that followed……x

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!!

 

12 Good Eggs & A very tasty frittata!

12 Good Eggs is a fast growing business, owned and run by Glen and Mardie Gray, selling free range paddock eggs.

Their farm is set on the banks of the beautiful Murray River on the outskirts of Barham, NSW. Together with their two children, a few dogs and 3000 odd hens they are kept busy suppling the local area with freshly laid 'paddock eggs'.

The hens live in old caravans that have been converted by Glen (who was previously a furniture maker) into hen houses. They spend all day, each day roaming the paddock and grazing on native pastures. At night, they retreat to their caravan's where they are watched by the dogs, protecting them from any hungary foxes. Using a rotational grazing system, the caravans are moved each week to a new paddock, providing fresh feed whilst the previous paddock has had the benefits of being fertilised naturally by the chooks. Its a win/win situation for all.

The outcome…..these very happy, free to roam hens lay delicious tasting eggs for which demand in the area is  growing. The Gray's are in the process of adding to their current brood- an additional 1500 hens which will help them keep up to their egg orders all year round. It's a labour intensive job moving caravans, checking their water and collecting eggs daily, then sorting and packing-but one which the Gray family are very passionate about. They recently moved their packing area from the farm into a bigger shed in Barham as a way of keeping up with this growing business.

And something I learn't from my visit out to the Gray's farm- just because the packaging on the egg carton's say free range, doesnt actually mean the chooks roam free all the time. It could be that they are only out having free range time for an hour a day. A tad misleading! Hence why Glen and Mardie  have chosen to market their eggs as paddock eggs, not just free range!

12 Good Eggs can be found at the Echuca Farmers Markets, Koondrook-Barham Famers Markets as well as a handful of IGA Supermarket's within the area. They also supply eggs to Forever Fresh in Echuca too.

Keep up to date with market dates and other 'eggy' news by following 12 Good Eggs on  Facebook.

Eggs are one of those pantry staples in our house- I try and stock up whenever Im at the markets as we use them on a daily basis. When asked her favourite way of serving eggs, Mardie tells me you can't simply go past a freshly boiled egg- how true! Pure comfort food, and so good for you too!

I have to say though I love a good pav and this frittata recipe is becoming a weekly special in our house- tasty, healthy and a great way to use up all those leftovers in the fridge.

"Leftover" Frittata

5 large eggs, lightly whisked
1 1/2 cups milk
Half a butternut pumpkin, chopped up into small pieces and roasted
2 rashes of bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
spinach leaves
handful of frozen peas
1 cup of self raising flour
1 cup of cheese, preferably cheddar
feta (optional), to scatter on top.

Preheat oven to 200 deg celcius. Heat saucepan on stovetop and sauté bacon and onion until cooked through. Put aside to cool. Mix together eggs, milk, cooled onion and bacon, flour, cheese and veggies. Pour into a lined baking tray- mine is 35 cm x 25 cm. I like to add the pumpkin last and push it into the mix. Scatter feta on top with some freshly chopped herbs and some salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 minutes or until lovely and golden on top and cooked through.

Note- this is a recipe that is very easy to modify. If vegetarian, naturally omit the bacon. Substitute any of the above vegies for ones that you have in the fridge or simply just your favourite combinations. Try using boccocini instead of feta and throw in a few cherry tomatoes! It's a great recipe that can be adapted to whatever is in season. Have fun with it and Im sure it will always taste delicious!

I personally love serving this as a light lunch along with a few pieces of smoked salmon and a green salad.

Have you a favourite way of cooking up your eggs???

Publishing your own Recipe Book

Last weekend, my very special Mother in Law celebrated a milestone Birthday. One of the gifts we gave to her as a family, was a book we put together filled with all her recipes. Recipes that were from her own recipe journal (pictured below). Some had been passed down from her mother, and others that had been family favourites enjoyed and loved by my husband and his siblings as they grew up. 

Using a company called Blurb, we were able to self publish our own cookbook.

The final product- Under the Mulberry Tree- was paperback with just over 60 recipes and about 100 pages long. Named after the Mulberry Tree that was planted 35 years ago in the family back yard. It has been pruned over the years to become an outdoor dining room and a venue for many, many family meals, celebrations and good times. 

Like other recipe books, it was divided into the different chapters and featured lots of photos of both family and of special pieces from around the house like linen, cutlery, tableware, cookbook collection, etc. Each family raided their own photo collection and found photos that were all taken at home and around the table - so keeping in with the food theme. Photos that went as far back as to when the sibblings were small children, right up until now, to include the entire extended family. On each page and underneath recipes were quotes from every family member telling their favourite food memory.

Using Blurb-

I can highly recommend using Blurb as a great way of publishing your own book, ebook, magazine, etc.

In summary, there are three main options for publishing a book using Blurb. First, is using their own program called Booksmart which is available to download straight from their website. Booksmart has simple templates and has a basic range of fonts and backgrounds which can be used. Perfect for the beginner.

The next two options are for those who are competant in using InDesign or LightRoom. Where you download the plugins and once you have created your masterpiece, you transfer it back to Blurb and they organise for it to be printed. The advantage of these two options is that you have far more creative power and can really do whatever you want.

I found Blurb reasonably good to deal with. Booksmart is quite straight forward and simple to use once you have a play around. I did find the templates and backgrounds provided a bit boring and basic, but was able to work with what it offered. Importing photo files were also difficult (especially as I had a lot I wanted to use) and I felt it wasn't as easy to import photos compared to other programs I have used in the past. I was very happy with the final product though. We paid a bit extra and had the books printed on premium grade paper. We also had the choice of hardcover but decided paperback was more practical for us all to use. I did have a few issues uploading the file (which was not Blurb's fault but rather we have a very lazy internet line here!!!), and as Blurb is based in the States, I did have to wait a while for customer service to reply. This book cost us approximately $60 per copy (with postage) to make and took about 7-10 days to receive once ordered. It did require lots of blood, sweat and tears in editing photos (especially the very old ones) and deciding on layout, typing out recipes and the final edit.

I am very keen to now put all my recipes together and make my own cookbook. Another project, but a lovely keepsake to have and good to have all my favourite everyday recipes in one book!!!

Blurb also have an online bookstore, so if you want, you can list your book for sale (after you decide on the price) and sell it publicly through their site- how great is that???? A wonderful way to launch your own writing career!!!!

This book was written as a tribute to my Mother in Law, Catriona,  as a way of acknowledging her wonderful cooking and commitment to providing so many meals, each cooked with so much love over the years for her growing family. It is a book we will all cherish and use, and a lovely reminder of many good times shared together, under the mulberry tree.

If you would like your own family recipes made into a cookbook, but don't feel confident using the Blurb software, I am now offering a service, where for a fee,  I can do all the hard work for you!

For enquiries, please email me at kylie(dot)pickett(at)hotmail(dot)com

I also design photo books of family, children, travel, special occassions as well.

In My Kitchen- May 2014

Have you read the blog Fig Jam and Lime Cordial?
Celia lives in Sydney and writes about all things foodie and other things in life she enjoys. She has a monthly post called In My Kitchen where she shares whats new in her kitchen for that month.
She also encourages other bloggers to join in, so here is my post for this month's In My Kitchen.

Quinces and Rhubarb- found at our local green grocer (which I absolutely love!!!!). With the cooler weather we have been spending more time inside and in the kitchen. I attempted to make a flourless rhubarb cake but it failed miserably so will stick to my trusty rhubarb crumble cake which is always a winner.

These quinces were poached. So simple and yet so deliciously rewarding. Slice, core and peel skin off four quinces. In a pot, bring to boil 4 cups of water, 1 cup of caster sugar, a strip of lemon rind and juice of half a lemon. For extra favouring, add half a vanilla bean, or some cloves or cinnamon stick. I added vanilla bean. Once boiling, add quinces and turn down heat so that they gently simmer for about 2 hours. Check after first 45 minutes that there is enough syrup- add extra water if you need too. Be careful when stirring as the quinces will break up. Once cooked, pour into steralised jars and store. So yummy as a dessert or for breakfast.

Home made Granola which go perfectly with poached quinces. I fill a small jar and keep in my bag when out and about- makes for an easy energy snack.

I have a cupboard of cookbooks and I keep promising myself I wont buy anymore but the odd temptation often pulls rank. These below are my current top five GO TO books for inspiration and good reliable recipes. Do you have any favourites to share???

Our Nespresso machine is probably the most used gadget in our kitchen. I would seriously not function without it! The best bit is how wonderful the service is for country people. I can order my capsules online and receive them in the post the next day. We also had an issue with one of the parts and after a phone call, we were advised to send the part back to them and it was replaced within a few days. I can not praise Nespresso enough for such wonderful customer service- especially when you live in a rural area. Oh, and the coffee is good every time!!!!

We recently had a garage sale which mean't going through old boxes in the shed. I came across my old teapot I bought from a friend's shop in Edinburgh about 20 years ago. Rachel made all sorts of kitchen pottery pieces and then painted them bright colours and patterns. I always loved the orange slices against the blue. So, as a celebration in finding this old friend, we made scones and drank tea.

Fresh eggs straight from the Little Forest Produce in Barham. These chooks live in caravans and graze in the paddocks- you cant get more free range then that! Nothing beats fresh farm eggs! I like to buy a tray every fortnite at the Echuca Farmer's Markets.

I also popped in to visit Lauren at Bundarra Berkshires , just down the road from Little Forest Produce, and bought this beautiful shoulder of pork and some bacon straight from her farm shop. I have the Gourmet Girlfriend's Pulled Pork recipe in mind for this, which I have tried a few times before and is always worth the wait!

 Time to clean my old silver cutlery collection.

How good is freshly made garlic bread? Although the trick is adding just the right amount of garlic.
I like to make a big batch and freeze as many little baguettes as possible…..always handy for the impromptu lazy pizza nights when I can't be bothered cooking anything else.

Home made crumpets. Ive been experimenting with various recipes and think I have finally found one that I like- or rather- works best for me. It has taken a few tries  to learn what the mixture is supposed to be like. They do require lots of love and time but they are seriously worth it. The recipe I used for this batch was from Elizabeth David shared on Hugo & Elsa's beautiful blog.

Some roses from our garden….just adds a pretty feminine touch to the kaos of our kitchen bench.

What is going on in your kitchen this month? 

Joining in with Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for In My Kitchen.

Be sure to pop over and visit Celia's blog and others too for some kitchen inspiration!

  

16/52 Weekly Stills

1. A little lone bunny (aka Funny Bunny) having a quiet moment on the couch- very rare in our house!
2. Sunny autumn day…somewhere out near Barham!
3. Last batch of Hot Cross Buns for the year.
4. A batch of Anzac biscuits made Anzac Day morning.
5. Sunday afternoon bush walk along the banks of the Murray River.
6. This little one spent the entire walk gazing up to the trees and saying 'tall'. Too cute x

Local is Lovely- The Book!

Yesterday was a very happy mail day…..I received my copy of  Local is Lovely by Sophie Hansen, which I ordered last week after it's official launch in Orange.

Sophie Hansen is a food writer, well known blogger (of the foodie blog Local is Lovely), farmer's wife, mother and a brilliant cook who is very passionate about cooking with fresh, seasonal produce. This book is a collection of delicious recipes- most of Sophie's but also of the food producers from which she sources her food from. 

Sophie and her husband Tim run a successful deer farm business in Orange, NSW, so farming is very close to their heart. They sell their venison and also have farm kitchen lunches, which is on my bucketlist to do one day!

Ive been following Sophie's blog for about 18 months- it was actually the first blog I started following, and Ive been a big fan ever since. I love Sophie's style of writing, her photography is beautiful, stories about food and producers interesting, and her recipes always leaves me feeling very hungary! I also love reading her weekly Friday List too.

In her introduction, Sophie describes her cooking style as "Not fancy stuff, but simple, tasty, family food that has a story and fits with the season".

This book is not just a cookbook (which happens to be filled with mouthwatering, delicious recipes) but also goes behind the scenes with the food producers and their stories. It is divided into seasons which makes for easy cooking and filled with lovely stories all the way through. Sophie's mother, Annie Herron, has also provided some lovely illustrations. 

I went to bed last night making up a list and feeling hungary as I read through all the recipes I just cannot wait to try…..Goats cheese fritters, walnut, honey and carrot cake, twelve hour pork with apples and cider, peach crumble cake, roast chicken pieces with tarragon and garlic, spring quiche (even though its autumn!!!), honey granola……the list goes on…….

You can purchase the book here. Pefrect Mother's day gift…..just a thought! And if you havent already discovered Sophie's blog, check that out too!

Have a lovely day…Im off to make some crumpets with salted honey butter for a morning tea snack…..mmmmmmm x

What's cooking in our home this week!

It's been a busy week with lots happening in our house. We have had some hurdles to jump as well as some little sideline projects we are working on- hence no blogging for a a few days!

I'm not naturally a lunchy type person- unless it's made for me…- and Im especially bad when there is lots happening and distractions of the small people. This simple cauliflower salad is quick and easy, relatively healthy, fresh and tasty.

It was given to me recently by a good friend, Susan and since then its been getting quite a bit of midday (well mid afternoon) airtime! 

Cut your uncooked caulifower into small florets. Mix a quantity of Kewpie Mayonaisse with some wasabi (optional and to taste) in a seperate small bowl. Combine with cauliflower and place in a bowl or on a plate. Sprinkle over black and white sesame seeds. Dont worry if you don't have the black sesame seeds- I bought some at our visit to the South Melbourne Markets a few weeks ago. Up until then I just used the white sesame seeds and it was fine.

How easy is that???

Seriously yummy and can be eaten as a side salad or accompanied with your drinks and nibbles as a tapas style dish.

This past week has also seen a batch of my mother in law's amazing Tomato relish cooked up in our kitchen with a rather large bag of juicy over ripe tomatoes purchased at the markets last weekend.
Relish is a staple in our house (much like milk and bread). You can never have enough of this little jar of goodness!

And this delicious Orange and Garlic Roast Chook from the latest Home Beautiful Magazine.

Trying to enjoy the last few weeks of outdoor dining with the kids before daylight savings ends and the cooler weather sets in.

What food were you cooking up this week in your home?