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Member Run Boards >> The Tavern >> Vegetable of the week thread http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1317089610 Message started by Imperium II on Sep 27th, 2011 at 12:13pm |
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Title: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Imperium II on Sep 27th, 2011 at 12:13pm The beetroot. Adored by vegetable lovers and stain removal manufacturers alike. Highly nutritious and delicious, it is an indispensable component of the great Aussie cafe burger. Support Aussie beetroot farmers, vote Nationals. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Sep 27th, 2011 at 1:12pm
Well being from the "City Nationals" Branch I do prefer my Beetroot slowly oven roasted , served with a Goats Cheese Tart.
* FOR THE FILLING: * 500g small beetroot, roasted, peeled and cut into wedges * 25g unsalted butter * 3 red onions, halved and finely sliced * 150ml red wine * 2 tbsps cider vinegar * 1 ½ tbps honey * 1 tbsp thyme leaves, roughly chopped * 2 tbsp dill, finely chopped, plus a few fronds to finish the tart * 280g goat’s cheese log * Salt and freshly ground black pepper For this recipe, I used a loose-bottomed Victoria sandwich tin to make a deep tart, about 20cm in diameter and 5cm deep; if you want to make a thinner tart, use a tin that’s about 24cm diameter. Prepare and blind bake the case as for the lettuce tart recipe. Increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. Warm the butter in a pan and gently fry the onions until soft. Add the red wine, vinegar, honey, thyme, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir and increase the heat. Cook until almost all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture is glossy; stir in the cooked beetroot and dill and season well. Cut the goat’s cheese into 1cm thick slices and arrange a few on the bottom of the tart. Tip over the beetroot mixture and place the rest of the goat’s cheese rounds on the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Scatter the dill fronds over the top and serve warm. Why this is not in this years CWA Cookbook is anyone"s guess? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Sprintcyclist on Sep 27th, 2011 at 1:22pm that's amazing smithy. I have never dreamt of roasted beetroot and goats cheese tart !!!!!! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Sep 27th, 2011 at 2:32pm
The pumpkin beats beetroot hands down. It's also a long time favourite in the National's camp. Everybody liked Flo's pumpkin scones.
By the way, I'd like to introduce the latest Nationals candidate. He's just been nominated for Parkes. I reckon he'll get in no problem there. He just needs a nice green ribbon to make it plain that he represents the Nationals. :P |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Sep 27th, 2011 at 2:40pm Quote:
You lost me there :-) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Oct 5th, 2011 at 11:20am
Well seeing as the MODERATOR has not anointed a new veggie for us this week allow me.
This weeks winner is ASPARAGUS |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Oct 5th, 2011 at 11:25am
Nothing fancy from the "City National"branch this week as this vegetable doesn't require it.
Simply char grill lightly brushing with olive oil & season. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by life_goes_on on Oct 5th, 2011 at 1:30pm
I'd like to nominate the humble Swede.
A vegetable shunned by society because of its unfortunate link to all things skando. Sure, it's hard to make appertising, but surely we should give it a go? Perhaps if it was renamed to the "Dutch" we wouldn't have such a problem with it? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Equitist on Oct 5th, 2011 at 1:53pm My nomination is:Perpetual Spinach! Although technically an 'annual', I've had some of these neglected plants growing in my garden for up to 3 years - and I currently have a couple of punnets growing like wildfire on a north-facing window sill! They are paradoxically thirsty but drought-hardy: they're almost unkillable - and will readily come back from the brink! The sweet young bright green leaves can be eaten fresh in a salad - the older leaves blanched! http://renaissanceherbs.com.au/system/0000/0278/14_48_19_671_Spinach_Perpetual_Medium__small.jpg?1314774603 Quote:
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Nationals_Win on Oct 5th, 2011 at 2:20pm
the winner of this week's vegetable of the week thread is the swede
discuss swedes here |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Wesley Pipes on Oct 5th, 2011 at 2:24pm barnaby joe wrote on Oct 5th, 2011 at 2:20pm:
Swedes, as with their namesakes, are the most pussywhipped of all the vegetables. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Oct 5th, 2011 at 3:36pm ... wrote on Oct 5th, 2011 at 2:24pm:
Seeing some of their women I'd happily be pussywhipped ;) The "City Nationals" branch cookbook does have a Swede recipe and it combines the humble Swede with God's finest creation, the Pig. Ingredients: 6 rashers of Bacon trimmed of fat Olive Oil 1 onion chopped 1 lge Swede cubed 1 carrot sliced 400ml chicken stock 4 lge potatoes halved Handful of chopped parsley Swede and bacon were made for each other, so putting them together in a pie gives swede a starring role for once Serves 4 Ready in 30 minutes Method 1. Put the bacon in a non-stick pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and brown. Remove, and brown the onions in the same oil. Return the bacon to the pan along with the swede and carrot and season well. Pour in the chicken stock, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the veg is tender. Stir in the parsley. Divide between 4 individual pie dishes. Keep warm. 2. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling water until just tender (about 8 minutes). Drain and cool, then mash. Spoon onto the swede mixture, keeping the potato fluffy, and sprinkle with seasoning. Grill until the potato starts to brown. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Oct 12th, 2011 at 8:37pm
Suggestions from the members for this weeks veg?
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Karnal on Oct 12th, 2011 at 9:09pm ... wrote on Oct 5th, 2011 at 2:24pm:
I'm sorry, I beg to differ. Danes have much bigger pussies. Have you ever had a poke at one? Don't feel a thing mate. And yet, they do go well with bacon. Hence, my nomination for this week: the Dane, that most multicultural of vegetables. A chalky staple, but still - Divine! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Oct 13th, 2011 at 10:54am
How about the Okra? It makes a fine curry and it grows wild ( endemic species) in both India (and Pakistan) where it's known as Bhindi. I'm sure Karnal will approve. It's also favoured as an ingredient of biryiani
Bhindi Masala (Curried Okra) Ingredients: 1kg okra( cleaned and dried ) 1 big red onion 1 big tomato( seeded ) 2 tbsp thick yogurt 1 tsp turmeric( optional ) 1 tsp jeera powder( cumin powder ) 2 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp curry powder 2 tsp red chilli powder or 4 chopped green chillies 1 tsp ginger chopped 1 tsp garlic chopped 4 tbsp vegetable oil ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cut okra in 1/2 inch pieces. Chop onions into 1/2 inch pieces Chop tomotoes( remove the seeds and juice ) Heat oil in kadai or wok and add onions, ginger, garlic and okra After 5-10 min add thick yogurt so that okra doesnt become mushy When okra starts to turn into golden brown add the powders and let them coat all the pieces in the curry Add tomatoes and cook the curry for a little while till the all the moisture id gone Add salt at the end and decorate curry with chopped coriander if you must (I prefer mint leaves - at least they're edible) Serve on chapathis. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Oct 13th, 2011 at 12:37pm
BLOODY BONZA!! Muso
The "City Nationals" branch is so impressed with that well presented submission that we will trying that out at our next meeting with a view to incorporating it in next years CNCWACB (city nationals country women's assoc cook book) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Karnal on Oct 13th, 2011 at 1:17pm
PNP (Boloch) approves of this recipe.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Cliff Richard on Oct 13th, 2011 at 6:23pm
okra definitely might get the next nomination
okra is very important as a thickening agent and is featured extensively in west african and creole cuisine it's really slimy tbh but it's delicious |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Oct 19th, 2011 at 3:23pm
Well fellow National Party delegates it's that time of the week again.
This week I'd thought we'd get back to basics as the last 3 have seen the exotic's run wild. I present this weeks vegetable: THE CARROT Today's recipe from the CNCWACB is a simple but elegant dish. Can be served warm in winter or chilled for a refreshing starter during the summer months. Carrot and ginger soup Boost your immune system this winter with a good dose of ginger and vitamin C in this hearty carrot soup. Ingredients (serves 4) * 2 tablespoons olive oil * 1 brown onion, finely chopped * 5cm piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped * 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped * 6 (1kg) carrots, peeled, chopped * 4 cups chicken stock * sour cream and chopped dill leaves, to serve Add above ingredients to your shopping list Method 1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, ginger and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until onion is soft. 2. Add carrots, stock and 2 cups water to saucepan. Simmer, partially covered, for 35 to 40 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Remove from heat and set aside. 3. Using a food processor or blender, process soup, in batches, until smooth. Return soup to saucepan and stir over low heat until warmed through. 4. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with sour cream and dill. Serve. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Wesley Pipes on Oct 19th, 2011 at 3:24pm
Gosh is it that time already?
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Google on Oct 19th, 2011 at 4:15pm
all those multicoloured carrots look delish
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Oct 19th, 2011 at 4:39pm barnaby joe wrote on Oct 5th, 2011 at 2:20pm:
They're turnips, i can see what it says on the link, but they're turnips. Oyster mushrooms are great in stir fries. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Equitist on Oct 19th, 2011 at 5:07pm Sweet Potato: highly nutritious, great to eat, easy to grow (great summer groundcover) and stores well! Actually, few people seem to know that the young leaves and growing tips are an ideal green leafy vegie! http://www.fao.org/WAIRdocs/x5425e/x5425e0d.htm Quote:
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Oct 19th, 2011 at 10:54pm
The editors at the CNCWACB feel that a serving suggestion should be added to our recipe of the week.
We would not recommended that you just follow the above recipe and serve cold in a large bowl with sour cream, it will be anything but refreshing. For spring eating we suggest serving as a "Wecome to the table course" A refreshing start before tucking into the BBQ. Serve as follows: Pour cold soup into chilled shot glasses Replace sour cream with natural yoghurt mixed with chopped pickled ginger and dill leaves. A cleansing start for the palate, just enough to get the jucies flowing and highten the senses. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Oct 20th, 2011 at 4:10pm Grey wrote on Oct 19th, 2011 at 4:39pm:
Yes, but they are disqualified. They are actually closer to the animal kingdom than the vegetable kingdom. Perhaps we could have a fungus of the week thread. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Google on Oct 20th, 2011 at 5:31pm
yeah musos right no fungi allowed that's a whole other kingdom
why do vegetables look so much more appetising in the pictures in this thread than they do in the supermarket aisles? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Oct 23rd, 2011 at 11:48am barnaby joe wrote on Oct 20th, 2011 at 5:31pm:
I know - got to keep an eye on these leftard Liberals. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Oct 26th, 2011 at 2:54pm
Wednesday Again :)
A day to celebrate god's gifts to National Party Members who get quezzy at the sight of blood. Today's offering from CNCWACB http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzmFedMJ0yTqgY9YGHm3j-a0wDy7Tr0B_wsnDa0IceuwxkBp0-4g Zucchini Flowers Ingredients (serves 4) * 18 male or female zucchini flowers * 8 kalamata olives, halved, pitted * 2 anchovies * 8 small basil leaves * 200g fresh ricotta * Vegetable or light olive oil, for deep-frying * Lemon wedges, to serve * Batter * 2/3 cup (100g) plain flour * 1 tbs olive oil * 150ml chilled light beer * 1 eggwhite Method 1. Holding a zucchini flower, use your thumbs to gently make a split in flower. Use your fingertips to snap off and discard yellow stamens in centre of flower. Repeat with remaining flowers. 2. Finely chop olives, anchovies and basil. Place in a bowl with ricotta and season to taste with pepper. Spoon a teaspoonful of ricotta mixture into centre of each flower, then twist petal ends to enclose. For batter, place flour and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Add oil and beer then whisk until a smooth batter forms. In another bowl, whisk eggwhite until soft peaks form then gently fold into batter. 3. Line a tray with paper towels. One-third fill a deep saucepan or deep-fryer with oil, then heat over medium heat until 180ºC, or a cube of bread browns in 15 seconds. Working in batches of 4, dip flowers, 1 at a time, into batter, allowing excess to drain off, then deep-fry for 2 minutes or until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to tray. Repeat with remaining flowers and batter. Scatter with salt and serve with lemon wedges. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Oct 27th, 2011 at 8:44am muso wrote on Oct 23rd, 2011 at 11:48am:
In case the subtlety was lost, that was a veiled reference to the migration of the Liberals in the political spectrum with respect to the Nationals, and the fact that it's something that a Typical National voter would not fully appreciate. The Nationals have stayed more or less where they always have been, while the Libs have overtaken them to the Right. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by mantra on Oct 27th, 2011 at 10:17am Dsmithy70 wrote on Oct 26th, 2011 at 2:54pm:
They look and sound delicious. I'm going to keep that recipe. Muso Quote:
Aside from Barnaby Joyce - the Nationals have regressed. They are completely ineffective and have nothing to offer their electorates, which is a pity. A good political party is desperately needed to act in the interests of country and regional areas. The Liberals have obliterated them in everything but name only. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Oct 27th, 2011 at 4:27pm mantra wrote on Oct 27th, 2011 at 10:17am:
Watch this space. I think Campbell Newman in Queensland will be a force to be reckoned with. Of course in Qld, the Liberal National Party is different, but they still have most grass roots support from the old Nationals. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by mantra on Oct 28th, 2011 at 9:26am muso wrote on Oct 27th, 2011 at 4:27pm:
Perhaps - but the support of the old Nationals doesn't mean much these days especially now that Queensland has turned into a giant toxic quarry with about two thirds of the state dug up for coal and gas exploration. A huge proportion of our prime agriculture land and nature reserves have been eradicated. The Nationals have sat by and done nothing. Are you a Queenslander Muso? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Oct 28th, 2011 at 9:46am muso wrote on Oct 20th, 2011 at 4:10pm:
It's balls, but anyway what about fruit? Do we have to leave tomato and Zuchini off the lest because they're fruit? What about flowers? Or underground sem modifications like the potato? Define 'vegetable'. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Oct 28th, 2011 at 2:41pm mantra wrote on Oct 28th, 2011 at 9:26am:
I'm a proud Queenslander, and it's all lies. We're God's own country up here. ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Oct 28th, 2011 at 2:45pm Grey wrote on Oct 28th, 2011 at 9:46am:
Are you trying to pick an argument, here? I'll have you know that we Nationals take our vegetables very seriously. >:( I'll bet you don't even own a hat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Oct 28th, 2011 at 3:24pm muso wrote on Oct 28th, 2011 at 2:45pm:
You Nationals might take things seriously but you never make sense. Do Funghi, move around independently, have heart beats, talk to each other, have a central nervous system, backbones or exoskeletons, are they warm or cold blooded do they bonk much? No do they obtain nutrient from soil or decomposing vegetation, have fruiting bodies, get fertilised by insects, can they be easily propagated by vegative means? Yes. Are they closer to Ferns or Chimpanzees? ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Oct 29th, 2011 at 11:17pm
Do you speak Italian? Funghi (with an h) is Italian for mushrooms.
I didn't say they were animals. They are a separate order, and their cell walls have chitin, whereas plants have cell walls made of cellulose. The only other organisms to have certain cells made of chitin are animals, such as arthropods. Not all animals bonk. If you want examples of animals that are functionally similar to fungi, corals and sea anenomes are good examples. Both reproduce asexually. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Google on Oct 30th, 2011 at 9:45pm
i replicate via mitosis myself
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Google on Oct 30th, 2011 at 9:48pm
two thirds of the state?!!? that's amazing - i need to see the size of this hole
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Oct 31st, 2011 at 5:37pm
Well I'm glad we cleared up that bit of unpleasantness. Imagine trying to enter some mushrooms in the vegetable pavilion! It will just not do.
We in the National Party do have standards. Of course that sort of thing might be quite acceptable for Bob Katter's bunch of renegades, but we must distance ourselves from that kind of feral position.  nocbs.jpg (11 KB | 112
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 2nd, 2011 at 1:40pm
Today's CNCWACB is a little different. Instead of savory we are going sweet.
I know...pick those jaws up off the ground petals, vegies can be a dessert too ;) Todays spotlight falls on Pomme de Terre, Thats right the "Apple of the Ground" POTATOES 2 versions today Potato Candy Ingredients 3/4 cup mashed potatoes 1 lb powdered sugar 1 lb coconut 1 teaspoon almond OR vanilla essence Method Mix all ingredients together. Roll into any desired shape. Chill, then dip in chocolate mixture. Chill for 20 minutes. Chocolate Mixture: Ingredients 1 large package of chocolate chips 1/3 block of plain parafin wax Method Melt over hot [not boiling] water. Cut up the parafin wax before melting. Other flavourings can be used also, chopped nuts, coconut. Potato Candy 1 medium sized potato 1 tsp vanilla 6-1/2 cups icing sugar 6 Tbsp peanut butter Cook potato until soft; drain and mash with fork. Blend in vanilla. Work in sifted icing sugar until mixture is thick enough to roll easily. Divide into two portions. Roll each portion out into an 8-inch square on a board dusted with icing sugar. Spread peanut butter on each square and roll-up like a jelly roll. Wrap each roll in waxed paper and cool in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before slicing. Makes about 4 dozen 1/2-inch thick slices. Variation: Press one portion into an 8-inch square pan, spread with peanut butter and top with second portion. Frost with 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate that have been melted. Cool in the refrigerator and cut into 36 squares. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 2nd, 2011 at 5:06pm
Yummo! Now that's different. I like to do things like adding chocolate to Mexican savoury foods. Chocolate and chilli is a good combination too.
Of course chocolate must qualify as a vegetable. After all, it's not animal or fungus.... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 2nd, 2011 at 5:22pm muso wrote on Nov 2nd, 2011 at 5:06pm:
We had a yank chef visiting in one of the restaurants I worked in many years ago who did a great recipe of chocolate chicken pieces. The chocolate came out savory tasting with just a hint of sweetness towards the end. Salt and choc also go well together :) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 5th, 2011 at 7:46am
This has become a pretty good recipe thread, so I'll tell you what I'm making tonight. There are some really special vegetables in this recipe and some strong flavours too. One of my favourite vegetables are French Shallots. These are like double cored brown onions, but they add a unique flavour to sauces which is difficult to describe but once tasted, you will be hooked. They look like pickling onions, but they are usually more expensive.
Now in its traditional Malaysian form, Prawn Laksa tends to be made with the little red skinned Indian style onions or bawang merah kecil (not the large salad ones we have here) I find these difficult to get, so I substitute French Shallots, which are not the same, but just as good for the purpose. You can cheat when making Laksa by using Laksa paste. Don't expect the same taste though. It's much better made from scratch using fresh ingredients. The fewer cans you use, the better. Ok canned coconut cream is fine and sambal oelek is ace. Laksa is a soup, but don't plan on making a main course. Laksa can be a main course in itself. This picture is pretty close to how mine comes out. Even in Malaysia and Indonesia, people make Laksa differently. The main thing is that it should have heaps of prawns in it, and they should be above liquid level in the centre of the dish. On top of that, add a mixture of sliced spring onions and beansprouts, a quartered boiled egg, and if you like, some crispy fried noodles. http://uktv.co.uk/images/190190/14779.jpg?Spicy-prawn-laksa-recipe Get yourself some "extra shrimp paste". It has quite a strong flavour, but it's well worth it especially if you like the fishy taste. Shrimp paste is way better than fish sauce for Laksa. On prawns - there are prawns and there are prawns. Fresh is best, and big is usually best. The best prawns I have tasted were in Townsville a few weeks ago. I have a good appetite, but I could only eat 5 of them. They were huge and they were sweet and juicy. The locally sourced prawns are definitely best at least here in Queensland, and I have been known to catch some myself using a dilly net during quieter times. Don't cook the prawns in the soup, cook separately and add at the end. It's easy to ruin perfectly good prawns by overcooking. On the next post, I'll post the recipe itself. I like my food, and laksa probably ranks up there with some of my all time favourites, but a warning - it is definitely not Heart Foundation approved. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 5th, 2011 at 8:17am
You can vary this recipe according to taste. (I never make it the same each time.) Some people use two different types of noodles - flat egg noodles (mian bao) on top plus rice noodles (Singapore noodles or rice vermicelli noodles) in the soup. I prefer just Singapore noodles. This recipe doesn't use chicken stock. You may substitute chicken stock if you prefer. You can also add grated Chinese roast pork to the top if you like. (I should say that those people who like coriander leaves - I don't, but you'd never guess, may also totally ruin the dish using some of those foul poisonous weeds.)
For the laksa paste: 3cm long piece of fresh galangal, julienned (young ginger root is ok too, but different) 8 coriander seeds 1 tbsp dried tumeric 2 large garlic cloves, sliced 2 French shallots, skinned 3 small dried red chillis, crushed (I substitute about a teaspoon of sambal oelek because I can never get fresh chilli to taste that good) 1 level tsp extra shrimp paste (to taste) For the laksa: 2 cups vegetable stock 1 cup coconut milk 1 tsp brown sugar 2 sprigs spring onion, chopped 2 lemongrass sticks, leaves peeled and white part only 6 kaffir lime leaves, julienned juice of 1/2 large lime (or of 1 whole small lime) 1/2 red long chilli, seeds removed 2 tbsp peanut oil for frying (I've used mustard oil too - subtly different) - you can reduce this volume for health reasons. To serve: 10-12 (depending on size)large prawns, cooked peeled 1/2 cup bean sprouts 1 small lime, quartered halved Optional - hard boiled egg, quartered Tofu puffs (I like these on top) Crispy fried noodles The Paste: Place the coriander seeds in a medium saucepan (the same as you will use for the curry). Add some oil Place saucepan over medium heat and toast for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and into a mortar and pestle. Add extra shrimp paste. Grind until both are powdered. Add garlic, galangal and chilli and continue grinding all of the ingredients into a smooth paste. The Laksa: Heat oil in the saucepan and fry off the spring onions (keep some for garnishing). Add paste, stir for 2 minutes. Add stock, kaffir lime leaves, sugar and juice of half a lime, including the skin. Bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes for the flavours to develop. Add two (or 3) "blocks" of Singapore noodles. Add one large can coconut cream to the sauce and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove all lemongrass, coriander, lime, spring onions and kaffir lime leaves with a slotted spoon and discard. Return laksa to the heat just before serving. A variation: Make the noodles separately in moulds, flip the moulds into the base of wide-bottomed bowls and release the noodles. Pour piping hot laksa all around the noodles, To serve: Add cooked prawns (sliced cooked egg, tofu puffs, crispy fried noodles etc) and garnish with some fresh bean sprouts and the rest. Squeeze half a small lime onto the noodles, then mix it all in and enjoy! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Google on Nov 5th, 2011 at 12:03pm
looks delicious 8-)
the funniest thing is that this thread is more interesting than anything ive ever heard or read about the nationals, ever. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Karnal on Nov 5th, 2011 at 5:50pm
Well. You are more than welcome to start a thread on fuel subsidies or land regeneration, Imperium. No one's saying you can't do that.
I'm sure there are some interesting things happening at the regional universities too. That Pakistani course in Dubbo sounds fascinating. If it wasn't for the Nationals we wouldn't have these fine things. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Equitist on Nov 8th, 2011 at 9:16pm Borage flowers - yum! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 9th, 2011 at 3:19pm
Today CNCWACB travels to the place of the "Rising Sun" for our vegetable of the week.
If you haven't already tried this little morsel I recommend you get yourself along to any major shopping centre with a food court head to the Japanese offerings & it will be in the window. Or you can do it yourself at home following the recipe below. Wakame Salad Ingredients: 1 oz. dried wakame seaweed, cut into strips 4 TB rice vinegar 2 TB sesame oil 4 TB soy sauce 1 tsp ginger, grated 1 tsp sugar 1 rsp garlic, minced 3 green onions, thinly sliced 1 TB white sesame seeds, toasted 1/2 TB black sesame seeds, untoasted Directions: Soak seaweed in warm water for 5-6 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sesame oil, soy, ginger, sugar, green onions, and garlic. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Toss seaweed strips with dressing and sesame seeds. Let sit for 10 minutes for flavors to develop. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 9th, 2011 at 3:23pm
The official Nationals Vegetable Inspector approves of this entry.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 9th, 2011 at 3:44pm muso wrote on Nov 9th, 2011 at 3:23pm:
Nationals can't get anything right. First you try to ban the wonderful http://polishmushrooms.webs.com/borowikicepesporcini.htm Now you give us Laksa without the Laksa. Laksa leaf; Rau Ram: Vietnamese corinder (Persicaria odorata). Perennial. http://ediblyasian.info/resources/flavourants/odorata.jpg?%0A%0Atimestamp=1257752699442 Good with mushrooms, lemon zest, and chilli. Also add to dry sherry and dried shrimp to make a good quick stock for stir fry vegtables, (which may include mushrooms ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 9th, 2011 at 3:59pm Grey wrote on Nov 9th, 2011 at 3:44pm:
Listen hear you mushroom taking, pinko, hippy ABC lover. Play by OUR rules, we will have no dissent within the Nationals. We are a cohesive loving lot as long as you do as your told. Mushrooms are not Vegetables, end of story don't make me get my dodgem shotgun out! >:( |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 9th, 2011 at 4:14pm
Mushrooms, along with Zuchini and their flowers, tomato, potato, corn, carrot, pumpkin, borage flowers, runner beans, peas and bleedin chocolate are not vegetables.
Let's settle for vegtables and their allies hmm hmm? ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 9th, 2011 at 4:19pm Dsmithy70 wrote on Nov 9th, 2011 at 3:59pm:
Let's get ready to rumble ;) He has a point about Laksa leaf, but firstly I find it difficult to get any, and secondly, it doesn't have that horrible taste that coriander has. I've always known it as Vietnamese Mint. I had to Google Vietnamese Coriander, and yeah, we learn something new every day. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 9th, 2011 at 4:30pm Grey wrote on Nov 9th, 2011 at 4:14pm:
Mate, if you take my advice, you've got a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock, there. Let me get this straight - potatoes are definitely vegetables. That's clearly the case. It's not a Grey area either. You don't have to have any qualifications as a vegetable inspector to work that one out. However the potato plant does produce a fruit, and if you've been eating that thinking it was the potato, perhaps that would explain your disruptive attitude, because the fruit of the potato plant is poisonous. - and while we're at it, we're a fairly reasonable lot here at the Nationals, so I'll extend a bit of an olive branch since you're new around here. There is some really good programming on ABC Local, including some splendid programming on vegetables, and when it comes to the wet season, if I was out the back of Bourke somewhere, I wouldn't listen to anything else to find out the latest on the road situation. http://www.abc.net.au/capricornia/topics/lifestyle-and-leisure/gardening/ |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 9th, 2011 at 7:25pm
There's not much vegetation on a potato muso, it does have nodes and even vestigial leaves and even has the ability to photosynthesise if it gets some light so I guess we could let it sneak through. Did you know you can graft tomatoes onto potato roots thereby cropping both from the same ground?
I bet I can come up with a link hang on :-) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 10th, 2011 at 12:11pm Grey wrote on Nov 9th, 2011 at 7:25pm:
Yes, they are both in the Solanum family, as is the eggplant, and you can also get solanine poisoning from green potatoes and tomatoes , and even eggplant if it's not properly prepared. Another plant in the same family is atropa belladonna or deadly nightshade, which is even more poisonous. The poisons they contain are in the alkaloid family, but they all contain some solanin. Potatoes and tomatoes are very closely related, and their wild precursors can be still found in the Americas. Cultivars were developed by the various Amerindian civilisations. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 10th, 2011 at 12:48pm Cavolo Nero (Tuscan cabbage) is very easy to grow and a tasty, versatile vegetable. http://www.veganwiz.com/2010/12/20/cavolo-nero-soup/ |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 10th, 2011 at 2:39pm
Beautiful Mr Grey :)
You see you get with the program & everyone's happy ;) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 10th, 2011 at 3:51pm Dsmithy70 wrote on Nov 10th, 2011 at 2:39pm:
Careful, your turning into a bit of a mushroom yourself Smithy. Some lichens are good to eat, is that all right? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 16th, 2011 at 3:46pm
Today's offering from CNCWACB branches out into the legumes,no not your silly lichens Mr Grey(there's always 1 smart arse wanting to show off).
Today we sample the humble chic pea, yes I know fellow Conservatives, Reffo food, but just because the terrorists eat it does not mean we should turn our backs on it out of fear, NO we should embrace the chick pea and the flatulence it brings because as we all know fart jokes maybe juvenile but everybody laughs at them & when you laugh with an enemy he eventually becomes a friend. For a delicious, healthy, lower GI meal try our Corn, Zucchini and chickpea fritters. Makes - 12 Ingredients * 400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed * 1/2 cup reduced-fat milk * 2 eggs * 3/4 cup self-raising flour * 1 large zucchini, grated (see note) * 310g can corn kernels, drained, rinsed * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves * 3 green onions, thinly sliced * Olive oil cooking spray * Salad leaves and tomato chutney, to serve Method 1.Process chickpeas until roughly chopped. 2. Whisk milk and eggs in a jug. Place flour in a bowl. Gradually add milk mixture to flour, whisking until smooth. Stir in chickpeas, zucchini, corn, mint and onion. 3.Spray a large frying pan with oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup mixture to pan. Spread slightly with a spatula. Repeat to make 3 more fritters. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining mixture to make 12 fritters, spraying pan with oil between batches, if necessary. Serve with salad and chutney. Notes * Squeeze excess liquid from zucchini. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 16th, 2011 at 3:55pm
If you're really keen, get some dry chickpeas, and cook in a pressure cooker for 1 hour. That's how I prepare them. You can usually make some in advance and freeze them that way.
Thanks Smithy. I will be making that tonight. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 16th, 2011 at 5:57pm |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 16th, 2011 at 7:34pm |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 17th, 2011 at 8:59am
Smithy, A couple of suggestions on that last recipe. I added some salt (ok I know about being healthy etc, but in our climate I need some) I also added a heaped teaspoon of Ozzie Wildfire, to make it less bland. I've been using it for years. Other than that, it was delicious. Want some? 8-)
http://www.dining-downunder.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=15 That's the only website I can find, but I actually bought it in a supermarket. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 17th, 2011 at 1:53pm
Buy a good quality choko and put it in the dark. A drawer is good. it'll start to sprout a stem and roots. Choko's are good to eat when small. Usually they are sold big. By that stage they're mushy, think Zucchini. Great to grow at home because they're very prolific.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 17th, 2011 at 3:59pm Grey wrote on Nov 17th, 2011 at 1:53pm:
Thank you Mr Grey, I love roast choko, I think we've found the main ingredient for next weeks recipe. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by pansi1951 on Nov 18th, 2011 at 6:40am
I have never been in this thread before. Nice surprise, thanks for the chickpea fritter recipe smithy, that's tonight taken care of.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by mantra on Nov 18th, 2011 at 7:51am
It is a good thread even if the title immediately makes you think the members of the National Party are vegetables.
I like the sound of those chick pea fritters too and will give them a go - although as Muso suggested - they might be even nicer spiced up a bit. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 19th, 2011 at 10:29am mantra wrote on Nov 18th, 2011 at 7:51am:
Do try them. They are yummy. I like the variation in texture between the corn bits and the garbanzos. Another thing I found out while preparing it is - don't try the roughly chopped chickpea bit using a processor whatever you do, you'll end up with some very fine chickpea mush and whole chickpeas. I had to use a meat fork to achieve that texture, although you might be able to put it through one of these attachments that slices, and get the same effect. Wildfire spice is great. It's not too hot. I started using it on wedges and progressed to other things. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 19th, 2011 at 10:54am Quote:
Don't you get any joy from selecting individual spices and making your own blend? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 19th, 2011 at 11:19am
I freakin' love chickpeas. Anyone tried fateh? It's a chickpea and garlicky lemony yoghurt dish that Arabs eat for breakfast, but they also eat it in Ramadan to ..break the fast. I could eat it for lunch and dinner too, but my husband thinks that's weird.
I stole this recipe off the internet. We make it pretty much the same, except I either use beef or lamb - not both. And you can drizzle with olive oil instead of the butter, if you prefer (I do). I also mix the lemon and tahini before I put it in the yoghurt cos I worry it'll curdle. Make sure you use the thicker European style yoghurt. Quote:
http://www.dedemed.com/mediterranean/fatteh-recipe-breakfast-casserole |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 19th, 2011 at 12:40pm
That sounds nice Annie, but I'm not getting putting three broken and toasted pitas on the bottom. I'd be more inclined to keep the pita seperate and eat with it.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 19th, 2011 at 3:12pm
You could do that too. Try it crispy though - it's yummy.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by skippy. on Nov 19th, 2011 at 3:22pm
That dish of yours sounds yummy,annie, I'll be giving that a go.
Muso, is that website you linked the only place you can get that "wildfire spice"? it sounds like an interesting herb mix, I haven;t heard of it before. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 19th, 2011 at 4:48pm
It's good, Skip! Let me know if you like it :)
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 19th, 2011 at 7:47pm skippy. wrote on Nov 19th, 2011 at 3:22pm:
Well I got mine at one of the normal supermarkets - not sure if it was Coles IGA or Woolworths, but I can't find it now and I'm running out. I'll find out who makes it. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 19th, 2011 at 7:49pm Grey wrote on Nov 19th, 2011 at 10:54am:
Well if you can find the individual ingredients, you'd be doing better than me. I'm glad that Annie and Skippy joined the Nationals. I really think we're on to something with our new policy of attracting voters with food. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 19th, 2011 at 9:22pm
Just so you know, I joined despite the choko, not because of it.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by mantra on Nov 20th, 2011 at 7:10am muso wrote on Nov 19th, 2011 at 10:29am:
Thanks for the tip about the chickpeas. I've made that mistake before - but have a short memory. I'm going to make the cakes today, but will add some grated carrot as well. I haven't seen the wildfire spice either, but if I see it on the shelves I'll get some. I'll add a little chili though. Quote:
This thread is a bit off topic. Maybe some Nationals' anecdotes could be thrown into the mix as well. Quote:
That looks yummy Annie. I love chickpeas too, but it's easy to overdose on them. Even though they don't seem rich, in some tasty dishes they can be. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 20th, 2011 at 8:22am Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 19th, 2011 at 9:22pm:
Yes chokos - The vegetable kingdom's contribution to child abuse. We all have our bad memories of the dreaded choko on the dinner plate. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 20th, 2011 at 8:46am Quote:
I eat so many chickpeas I'm probably immune to overdosing. The perils of living with an Arab man who is a great cook. Quote:
It's just horrible what some people do to their kids: |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 20th, 2011 at 10:20am Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 19th, 2011 at 9:22pm:
I suppose you hold deep resentments against Funghi as well? :P |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 20th, 2011 at 10:33am
I'd only eat the magic variety when I was younger, but as time has progressed I have developed a taste for mushrooms. I especially like them stuffed with feta cheese and herbs.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 20th, 2011 at 11:36am
I love mushrooms of various types, but there are some things I can't stand. Here are some great Christmas present ideas:
http://www.cafepress.com/corianderno |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 20th, 2011 at 6:14pm
That's crazy talk Muso. Cubes of potato fried in garlic and coriander...mmm.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 20th, 2011 at 7:27pm
Mixed funghi, chilli, garlic, coriander, lemon zest, drizzle of O/O.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 20th, 2011 at 7:32pm
Yum, Grey.
Salad dressing: Garlic, lemon juice, mint, pomegranate molasses, olive oil and a hint of coriander. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 20th, 2011 at 7:39pm
I'm going to have a fine crop of pomegranate this year, the third this seed grown bush has beared.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 20th, 2011 at 7:43pm
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, yum. :P
I use the molasses in a lot of cooking. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 20th, 2011 at 8:01pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 20th, 2011 at 7:43pm:
Well that's a new one on me. I thought you'd just missed a comma. I'll look out for it. Give us a starter recipe please ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 20th, 2011 at 8:26pm
Try that salad dressing. I also drizzle it over lamb before I cook it. Steak too sometimes.
I make spinach pastries called ftayer that have finely chopped English or baby spinach with onion, salt, lemon juice, sumac and a drizzle of the molasses. You can put citric acid in too. Make them into little pies with a shortcrust pastry and bake them. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 20th, 2011 at 8:29pm
I used to make my own pastry with plain flour, water, a bit of oil and salt but rarely bother these days cos I'm lazy. Found this pic of ftayer on the net:
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 20th, 2011 at 10:36pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 20th, 2011 at 8:29pm:
Yes to all that but those ftayer look dead classy, I'm going to get that off pat, in case Soren comes over ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by buzzanddidj on Nov 21st, 2011 at 9:41am barnaby joe wrote on Sep 27th, 2011 at 12:13pm:
And best consmed RAW, for maximum benifit 1 cup grated raw beetroot 1 cup grated raw carrot 1 cup grated raw ginger Cover with 50/50 extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice ( ... leave for a couple of days in fridge) Serve about half a cup on a bed of bean sprouts The BEST daily serve of DETOX and ANTI-OXIDENT imaginable |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Equitist on Nov 21st, 2011 at 9:51am buzzanddidj wrote on Nov 21st, 2011 at 9:41am:
Yuuum! As it happens, for my brunch, I just polished-off a plate of shredded and lightly-steamed salad-cum-stir-fry vegies - including the key ingredients of beetroot and carrot! ;) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 21st, 2011 at 12:47pm Grey wrote on Nov 20th, 2011 at 10:36pm:
Soren will be unable to make it due to a prior commitment. He's camped out at Bondi in hopes that Frederik and Mary will return before they leave for Denmark. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 21st, 2011 at 1:08pm
This looks good too Annie :-) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fesenj%C4%81n
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 21st, 2011 at 2:29pm buzzanddidj wrote on Nov 21st, 2011 at 9:41am:
I'm glad you guys joined the Nationals too :P Beetroot leaves make a nice addition to salad too. As far as coriander/ cilantro is concerned, I think it comes down to individuals and the affect it has on their tastebuds. Have you ever accidentally tasted engine oil? What about rusty metal? Combine the two and add some stale dishwater and you get close to what I experience when I accidentally ingest that poison known as coriander leaves. - but apparently not everybody has the same experience. Strangely enough, I love coriander seeds. I add them to TVP to make "veggie meat" quite a lot. I make some awesome veggie sausage rolls - much better than you can buy in the shops. I'll share my recipe some time, but most people on here probably prefer the meat variety. (That recipe coincidentally needs a little beetroot juice to improve the colour.) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 21st, 2011 at 4:16pm Quote:
It does. You know, I've never tried duck. Is it good? Muso, do you get irritated when people can't understand your hatred for coriander? I don't like seafood and people are often incredulous. I can eat prawns and some fish, but everything else is gagworthy. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 21st, 2011 at 4:22pm
Have you used falafel Muso? Lebo bread, salad, yogurt with lots of garlic, sourcream with chilli, break up some fried falafel balls and roll up. Result heaven.
Rice thins with, avocado, tomato and char grilled oil and vinegared eggplant (out of jar) are lunch today. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 21st, 2011 at 4:25pm
Yum.
;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 21st, 2011 at 8:21pm Grey wrote on Nov 21st, 2011 at 4:22pm:
Yes, I like falafel. I have made my own, but it's just as easy to get falafel mix. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 22nd, 2011 at 8:22am Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 21st, 2011 at 4:16pm:
Quite honestly I'd say no. :-) A good duck l'orange is very good though. and that stew would be good I feel. Plucking duck is murder. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Equitist on Nov 22nd, 2011 at 8:49am Grey wrote on Nov 22nd, 2011 at 8:22am:
One of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten was a duck l'orange - masterfully made by a reclusive old country hick who had no front teeth! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 22nd, 2011 at 11:07am
Falafel tastes a bit like this:
I encountered that particular delicacy during my holiday in Scotland earllier this year. It consists of a mixture of pulses, such as lentils, together with carrot, onions and herbs. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 22nd, 2011 at 12:54pm
Bought a botle of pomegranate molasses today, tastes good very strong, made in lebanon.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 22nd, 2011 at 1:50pm
Yes, you only need a little bit. My mother in law makes bottles and bottles of it for the family, so we only buy it in between running out and travelling to Sydney.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 23rd, 2011 at 8:11am Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 22nd, 2011 at 1:50pm:
Does the home made keep as well? Used some in my salad to accompany smoked trout along with hoseradish, garlic, Greek yoghurt. Worked very well. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 23rd, 2011 at 2:19pm
That sounds good. And yes, it keeps very well. They're such a huge family that it all goes pretty quickly though, especially during Ramadan (my favourite month).
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 23rd, 2011 at 3:24pm
For today's "CNCWACB" recipe we step into the realm of condiments.
This is a dark science mastered by our fore-mothers so as to extend the lifespan of home grown vegies into the off season. We will use the humble Chocko as suggested by Mr Grey late last week. Nothing beats a cold lamb sandwich made from last nights roast smothered in a good chutney. Ingredients Serves: 32 * 4 medium chokos (about 1.2 kg), peeled, cored and diced * 2 green apples, peeled, cored and diced * 2 medium onions, peeled and diced * 1/2 cup treacle * 2 teaspoons salt * 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper * 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves * 3 cups white vinegar * 3/4 cup raisins Preparation method Prep: 35 minutes | Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes 1.Put all the ingredients, except the raisins, in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil on low heat for 1 hour, or until any excess liquid has evaporated and the chutney is thick. Stir in the raisins and allow the chutney to stand for 15 minutes. 2.Ladle the hot chutney into clean, warm, dry jars and cover with vinegarproof lids. When the chutney is cold, label the jars and store in a cool, dark cupboard for two to three months before using. This allows the flavours of the chutney to develop and mature before you eat it. Variation: Choko and Ginger Chutney: Replace the raisins with 1/2 cup chopped glacé ginger and make in the same way as choko chutney. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 23rd, 2011 at 4:31pm Dsmithy70 wrote on Nov 23rd, 2011 at 3:24pm:
A most excellent recipe, on a cold lamb sandwich, bliss. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 23rd, 2011 at 6:38pm
I've never eaten chutney.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 23rd, 2011 at 9:15pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 23rd, 2011 at 6:38pm:
Annie, do yourself a favour and get some fruit chutney(or better yet make above recipe).Especially good with those ham sandwiches after Xmas. But one must be careful when venturing into these dark arts, pickling can become an obsession and next thing you know you have a cuboard full of pickled cauliflower, YUK! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 24th, 2011 at 9:54am Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 23rd, 2011 at 6:38pm:
You have to taste some of my green pickled indian style mango chutney. It's the stuff of legends. The only problem with chutney is the acetic acid odour when cooking it. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 25th, 2011 at 4:56pm
I'm going to make me some chutney, but not even for you can I eat choko, Smithy. Or does choko chutney not taste of choko at all?
Muso, are you willing to share your recipe? We stuff leb zucchinis and after we've hollowed them out, we fry the pulp with a bit of dried mint, a little of that pomegranate molasses and crushed garlic. It's very good. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 25th, 2011 at 9:19pm
Muso's Mango Pickle
OK, I usually make this in large quantities, but I'll reduce the recipe just for you: 2 cups of green mango ( preferably not too green - they must be fully developed and just about to ripen) 1 heaped teaspoon of salt. 1/2 teaspoon of Hing (Asafoetida) - you can buy it in just about any Asian shop. It smells really stinky, but it's sold as a diluted white powder. (The neat ingredient is brown and smells positively evil.) Two good things about hing - it adds a nice undertone, and it prevents flatulence. It's made from a herb. (They call it the devil's dung because of its smell :) ) - about 1/2 teaspoons of fenugreek powder, or better about 12 fenugreek seeds . 1 tablespoon of coarsely ground mustard seeds. You can use a mixture of yellow and black mustard or add some halves if you like. 1/2 a teaspoon of dried turmeric powder or about 1 centimetre of root turmeric finely chopped 2 tablespoons of red chilli powder. 4 tablespoon of oil - use mustard oil if you can get it. (it sometimes says on the bottle - for external use only, but I use it internally in the kitchen as well as for barbecues. ;D ) Directions: Wash the mangoes and cut them into small cubes. You might have to wear gloves if you are sensitive to green mango. Mix in the chilli powder, hing and salt well and leave it to stand (overnight is cool) Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a small wok or tadkah pan (Spelling?). Fry the fenugreek seeds until the fragrance is obvious (don't burn) then crush in a mortar and pestle. put then aside. Fry the mustard seeds and turmeric and put it aside. After an hour transfer all your spices and hing together into the mango mixture. Be careful with the fenugreek. You might like to add half first and taste it. Too much can make it bitter. The salt can also be added to taste. Some like it salty. This pickle or chutney is excellent as a side condiment with curry. It's also nice to add raita as another condiment. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 25th, 2011 at 10:24pm
Thanks for that, Muso! I'll let you know how I go with it.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 26th, 2011 at 8:15am Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 25th, 2011 at 10:24pm:
Best to leave it for a few days at least before you try it. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 26th, 2011 at 4:39pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Nov 25th, 2011 at 4:56pm:
Choko chutney wouldn't taste of choko, but choko aren't bad if you use them when they're about the size of a tomato. Nice in a veggie bake. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 26th, 2011 at 4:41pm Quote:
and do what with it? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Nov 26th, 2011 at 4:43pm
Oh. ;D
Eat it with leb bread. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Nov 30th, 2011 at 2:49pm
Hello Veg Heads
Wednesdays recipe of the week again. Today the "CNCWACB" opens the door on one of our oldest staples, CORN/MAIZE 2 recipes today the 1st being one of my favourites Corn Bread :) Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 2/3 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt Directions 1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan. 2.Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan. 3.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Forget your Garlic and Cheese bread a warm piece of corn bread with REAL butter is so morish you just might skip the rest of the meal for more bread :) Again as we are coming into the warmer months and BBQ's are the go we present a lovey refreshing side to go with those 1kg T-Bones and Bangers Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salsa Ingredients 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained 1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained 1 1/2 cups diced roma tomatoes 3/4 cup diced red onion 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced 1 1/2 teaspoons minced jalapeno pepper 1 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon salt Directions Mix together corn, olives, tomatoes, onion, red pepper, and jalapeno pepper in a large bowl. Gently fold in diced avocado, olive oil, lime juice, and salt. This salsa also would be great with the chickpea fritters which we featured before ;) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Nov 30th, 2011 at 6:23pm
Hmmm Salsas are go, but that's a big rap you've given corn bread. I might have to try it :-)
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Dec 1st, 2011 at 9:43am
Nice. I like Mexican food. Last time, I cooked some red kidney beans in the pressure cooker for about an hour, then added some of my "synmeat", a can of chopped tomatoes, mexican spices, a couple of corn cobs (microwaved for 3 minutes then de-husked with a sharp knife). I served this with salsa, grated cheese, lettuce, chopped yellow capsicum, sour cream and sliced red salad onions rolled in a burrito. I'll post the recipe properly at some stage if you like.
Synmeat (for vego's only - the rest of you can use meat) Add 1 cup of TVP (textured vegetable protein, aka dried veggie mince) to 1/2 cup of vegetable stock and some tomato juice. Add 1 teaspoon of sweet soy sauce (Kecup manis) Add 1 teaspoon of garlic paste and salt to taste. Transfer to a wok, mix in two beaten eggs and a few squares of dark chocolate. Heat until browned on the outside. Gradually add another 1/2 cup of vegetable stock (optional) to maintain a fairly firm consistency. This synmeat can be used in just about every dish requiring the texture of meat or mince. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Dec 1st, 2011 at 10:47am muso wrote on Dec 1st, 2011 at 9:43am:
We did a whole conference for Sanitarium at one stage and all being vego got well aquainted with both TVP & Nutmeat. I can truly say these two products are the most evil things on earth when it comes to food. Tofu is white truffles compared to those regurited canned crap. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Dec 1st, 2011 at 10:52am
TVP on its own is tasteless. It provides texture - that's all. I buy it in bags from a Chinese grocer, and use it only occasionally.
That synmeat tastes pretty good, but due to the other ingredients. ( I also use chocolate a fair bit) Nutmeat on its own makes me puke, but use it crumbled in a casserole and it can improve the flavour. I prefer to use nuts in some form though - almond flour or coarsely ground cashews can be good value. As far as meat substitutes are concerned, some of the Lamyong products are pretty good, but again they are never the main focus of the dish. When I make vegetable biryiani, I usually add a few slices of this one to the top. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Dec 5th, 2011 at 6:36pm
I wonder if any members of the National party have read this thread and realised how... interesting they are.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Dec 6th, 2011 at 12:28pm
Guilt free chocolate, this product amazes me because not only is it free from sugar and artificial sweetners (it uses Stivia a herb) but from the first it was the best chocolate i've ever tried. Health food section most supermarkets.
http://wellnaturally.com.au/info/sugar-free-chocolate |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Dec 7th, 2011 at 1:43pm Grey wrote on Dec 6th, 2011 at 12:28pm:
Well I've tried stivia - the artificial sweetener and it seems worse than saccharine in terms of taste. I've also had it growing in the garden for a short time. It didn't like our climate - Something to do with being dessicated and flooded in rapid succession. I'll try the chocolate though. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Dec 7th, 2011 at 1:46pm
damn, this is so inconvenient. Everybody should be allowed to delete their own posts up to a certain time limit.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Dec 7th, 2011 at 2:43pm
Hello fellow National Party Veg Heads :)
Wednesday again & time to expand our minds with new culinary knowledge. Today......just for a change & the fact I have been dealing with adolescents, we will delve into the skin benefits of vegies. 6 kinds of vegetable, fruit is good for acne skin 1. Cabbage The aircraft rolled cabbage leaves pretty often occur in winter are rich in vitamins A and E help prevent the occurrence of acne. Also, in cabbage contains more antioxidants and iron, which helps convert oxygen nourishing your skin. 2. Fish lettuce This is regarded as vegetables herbs well, external useful effect in the treatment of cough, fever, lettuce fish also is effective against bacterial infections, improving resistance and skin cooling. Thus, individual lettuce very effective in treatment of redness swelling pimples. You can use the fish lettuce leaf by cleaning your face, get some fish washed lettuce leaves, pound, up on the site of the acne before bed. To light up your spend, will persist as from acne. With this method you need to wash lettuce leaf surface and the fish skin before covering up slightly. 3. Watercress If you already know the purpose of cress for the skin, then replace the vegetables eaten daily by eating watercress often than offline. Because more than provide necessary nutrients with high concentrations, liquid extracts of watercress mixed with honey, rub surface to dry and then washed, twice a day to treat freckles. Also, put on pound watercress wounds, clusters of boils, eczema, scabies and other skin diseases. It was found that the watercress oil is antibacterial, inhibiting bacteria cause pimples. 4. Carrots, eggplant, pumpkin, tomatoes In this type that contain lots of vitamin A and zinc. These are the basic components work to control operation of the sebaceous glands, reducing the amount of dead cells on the epidermis layer. Besides, the more vitamin A in carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes … also have the effect of renewable skin, giving you smooth pink skin. 5. Squash In eastern medicine, squash called winter fruit, ginkgo contains high levels of vegetable oil, with no saturated fat, is beneficial for skin and hair. Many people often get washed squash, peeled, seeded juice drinking water or topical. This mixture helps acne and red white and smooth. 6. Sweet potato and leaves Do not think that there is a new sweet potato effects with acne skin. That even the sweet potato leaves are also very active acne treatment. It helps draw pus boil broken by using young leaves of sweet potatoes, green beans, add a little leaves salt, wrapped in cloth to cover acne marks. Also, sweet potatoes mucoprotein-rich substances, vitamin C, vitamin A. Eat sweet potatoes are effective at reducing cholesterol, reducing fat under the skin, respiratory benefit, spleen, stomach, kidney coated positive benefits, effective skin beautifying effect. Today's post brought to you by "City Nationals Home Spun Cosmetics Book" |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Dec 14th, 2011 at 11:49am
I must try the fish lettuce some time.
Now there are some interesting dishes that can be prepared using lettuce. (let's make that vegetable of the week). Here is an example. I use my syn-meat for this, but those who are without syn may use ordinary meat: Ingredients (serves 4) 4 dried Chinese mushrooms (or Shiitake mushrooms) 20ml (1 tbs) peanut oil (I usually substitute Olive oil) 1 small onion, chopped 1/2 tbs grated fresh young ginger root 2 garlic cloves, crushed 300g chicken mince (can also use pork mince) 3 french shallots, finely chopped 40ml (2 tbs) oyster sauce, plus extra to drizzle 40ml (2 tbs) light soy sauce 40ml (2 tbs) fresh lime juice 1/2 cup chopped coriander (or mint) leaves 8-12 large iceberg lettuce leaves, to serve Method 1. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl with 1/2 cup of boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes to soak. Drain, discarding soaking liquid, and finely chop the mushrooms. 2. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the mushrooms, ginger and garlic and cook for a further minute. 3. Add the chicken mince and continue tossing in the wok until the chicken is cooked through. Add the shallots, oyster sauce, soy sauce and lime juice, and cook for a further 2 minutes until the sauces are combined. Remove from heat and stir in the coriander (or mint) leaves, before serving in the lettuce leaves. 4. Drizzle with a little more oyster sauce and serve immediately. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Dec 14th, 2011 at 7:41pm
That looks delicious, Muso. I'll be making it in the next few days.
I sometimes wrap kebabs up in baby cos lettuce instead of Leb bread. Just lamb with salad and a tahini, garlic and lemon sauce. It's nice in summer. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by life_goes_on on Jan 25th, 2012 at 11:42am
It's been a while since we've had a vegi of the week so I'll add the first for the new year.
The versatile Cucumber. It's green, it's phallic and it's full of goodness. TZATZIKI RECIPE ■250 Grams of good Greek yogurt. The natural, thick one! ■3 small or “lebanese” cucumbers finely grated ■2-3 finely minced garlic cloves ■A good handful of dill finely chopped ■Another good handful of fresh mint roughly chopped ■A “splash” of extra virgin olive oil ■juice of half a lemon ■salt and pepper to taste Peel and deseed the cucumbers. Finely grate them using your normal kitchen grater. Once this has been done squeeze the excess water out of them. We don’t want them too wet. Place the grated cucumber into the yogurt along with everything else. Once everything is combined I recommend you place the tzatziki into the fridge and let it rest a little while. We want the flavours of the garlic to permeate. It’s a good idea to make this the night before. That way all the flavours get to develop really well. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Jan 25th, 2012 at 1:40pm
Top choice. I just made some raita last night to go with my curry. Similar recipe from a very different corner of the world.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 1st, 2012 at 1:49pm
OK, I don't think we've had zucchini yet, but if we have, this is a good opportunity to introduce one of my personal favourite spices - sumac.
Sumac has a very characteristic intense dark red colour. It comes from a berry that grows in various parts of the Middle East. I first encountered it while working in Turkey. It partakes a surprising lemony taste to salads. Anyway, let's get on with it..... Zucchini and Sumac Fritters What goes in it 6 medium zucchini , coarsely grated 1 medium brown onion , finely chopped 1 1/4 cups stale breadcrumbs , processed 3 eggs 2 tablespoons fresh oregano , finely chopped 1 teaspoon sumac 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 medium tomatoes , seeded, finely chopped 1/4 cup fresh mint , coarsely chopped 1/2 cup - and what you do with it all.......... Squeeze the excess liquid from the zucchini using absorbent paper until it is as dry as possible or literally squeeze-dry a handful at a time in your hand; combine the zucchini in a medium-sized bowl with the onion, breadcrumbs, eggs, oregano and sumac. Heat the oil in a large, preferably non-stick pan; drop rounded tablespoons of the zucchini mixture in batches, into the pan; cook until browned on both sides and cooked through. Meanwhile, combine the tomato and mint in a small bowl; serve the fritters with the tomato and mint salad, accompanied by yoghurt. Footnote: psst: Greek Yoghurt is pretty similar to Turkish Yoghurt, but we won't go there. zuccsumacr.jpg (52 KB | 62
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Feb 9th, 2012 at 3:42pm
ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE ARE NATIONALS, WE ARE FARMERS WE KILL STUFF & EAT IT. YOUR INNER CITY POOFY VEGO CRAP IS WHAT WRONG WITH OUR PARTY Today's recipe from Meat eating rednecks A personal favourite Lambs fry and bacon.... LAMBS FRY Make sure it is a fresh lambs fry Only buy it from a Butcher NEVER EVER from a Stupid Market I use a big old cast iron flat pan. I have found that is the best pan to use. I also use a electric fry pan lid. I grill pan INGREDIENTS. 1 small – medium fresh lambs fry The smaller and lighter it is usually indicates it is a Lambs liver not a old sheep’s liver which will be darker and have a far stronger taste olive oil 3-4 slices of a good quality fresh bacon enough to cover the pan. Also from the butcher Cut bacon slices in half self raising flour lemon herbs mixed herbs mint herbs lamb herbs cracked black pepper paper towel METHOD Cut the fry into thin slices 8-10mm // cutting with the shape. (this gives a larger slice) Wash and drain on a wire cake stand uncovered and place in the fridge. Mix up flour and all the herbs and black pepper. After about 15min take fry out and pat completely dry. Heat up pan to hot. When hot add the olive oil. Coat the slices well both sides. The pan must be hot but not burning the oil. Add one piece of fry at a time in a set order thicker ones first (there is a reason) Cover with the bacon. Lower heat if gas if electric remove from heat. Cover with lid. Wait a minute or two Take off lid and remove bacon. Turn heat up full again. Turn fry over from the first one you put in the pan. When completed replace the bacon on the other side. Remove from heat or turn down low. Cover with lid. Wait a few more minutes and turn up heat full. Remove bacon separately and place on heated plate Remove fry also on to a heated grill pan and cover up for resting. Return bacon to the hot pan and cook as desired. When cooked remove pan from heat remove bacon and place on paper towel (to remove any access fat.) Some Chefs insist the lambs fry must still be pink in the middle, personally we both prefer it to be cook through but not well done. It can be taken of as soon as the last bit of pinkish is visible and the resting will complete the cooking process. There is no way can I explain this final bit reason the fry will be all different thickness and sizes plus different aged livers also freshness. It will take plenty of practice. To make the gravy, remove most of the oil and fat (from the Bacon) add some flour and stir well, then you can add some butter, and add chicken stock. You can toss in fresh mint or any suitable lamb herbs. I suggest you strain it first to remove any lumpy and burnt bits. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 9th, 2012 at 5:44pm
That's not a vegetable. :P
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Feb 9th, 2012 at 5:50pm
The parsley in the photo's a plant ;)
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 10th, 2012 at 9:24am Dsmithy70 wrote on Feb 9th, 2012 at 5:50pm:
Hmmm ok, but Italian parsley is much better than the curly sort. I use it for everything - including tsatsiki. I also use it instead of Coriander because Coriander makes me throw up. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 10th, 2012 at 10:53am
I only use flat leaf parsley too.
What are you guys cooking today? I'm making spinach and ricotta pastries and maybe some lamb samboussa with a salad. I'm trying to bake more. It's becoming pleasurable - something I never expected. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 10th, 2012 at 11:19am muso wrote on Feb 10th, 2012 at 9:24am:
Oh BULL!! English (curly) parsley is far superior to the rank coarse italian. But of course that would never do would it? Nothing gets up my nose more than obnoxious trendies charnting 'Italian parsley tastes better', the HELL it does. Nobody in their right mind would make tabouli with wild parsley. :P |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 10th, 2012 at 12:54pm Grey wrote on Feb 10th, 2012 at 11:19am:
There's not a great deal of difference in flavour but I think that Italian parsley is better (and everyone in my family - except perhaps my mother - would agree with me). I only buy curly parsley if there isn't any good Italian parsley in the shops. It's also easier to clean and chop up and it's less likely to run to seed when you grow your own. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 10th, 2012 at 1:55pm
Well I said flavour, but I probably meant texture too. The curly parsley is like eating one of these plastic pan scourers. Italian parsley has a nicer more balanced flavour with less bitterness. The texture s definitely nicer.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 10th, 2012 at 2:00pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Feb 10th, 2012 at 10:53am:
Mmmm I'm inviting myself to your place. I love cooking too. Today, I'm a bit under the weather, so I might settle for some Greek take away (vego or fish of course.) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 10th, 2012 at 2:10pm muso wrote on Feb 10th, 2012 at 1:55pm:
I agree. On the odd occasions that I use it, that is what bothers me about it, more so than any difference in flavour. When I was living at home with my parents, curly parsley was all that we ever used. These days if I put a dish on the table that has curly parsley in it, I feel as if I have to explain why I haven't used Italian parsley..... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 10th, 2012 at 4:39pm Frances wrote on Feb 10th, 2012 at 2:10pm:
Yep, same here. I've used the curly as a garnish sometimes too. Muso, welcome! But you had better get a move on ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 10th, 2012 at 4:55pm Quote:
Exactly - group think baa baaa. And 'Italian cuts up easier'. It's nuts to suggest that. With a curled up anything you cut more for less . |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 10th, 2012 at 5:11pm
It's hard to chop finely though without missing any chunky bits.
In this instance at least, Italians do it better :P |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 10th, 2012 at 7:49pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Feb 10th, 2012 at 5:11pm:
That's my beef, it's the ONLY instance that English does it better. Everybody agreed too. You couldn't even find Italian parsley in Italy a few years ago. Then along comes a tv chef and the big change happens. If the texture is like a scourer you've picked leaves to old. All parsley is biannual, it flowers the second year. You grow your own and chop the center out when you use it for soft mild iron rich parsley. :P :P |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 10th, 2012 at 10:46pm Grey wrote on Feb 10th, 2012 at 7:49pm:
I don't believe you. My in-laws have been using Italian parsley for years and I'm pretty certain they didn't find out about it from TV Who is this TV chef anyway? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 11th, 2012 at 8:59am Grey wrote on Feb 10th, 2012 at 4:55pm:
Herb scissors. I picked some up at the General Trader in Adelaide. They are great. Does anybody else use them? (Don't worry about Grey, Frances - he's just trying to do a good National Party supporter impression - and it's hilarious) 71-PoD-M6lL__AA1500_.jpg (6 KB | 55
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 11th, 2012 at 9:15am
I'm going to have to get a pair of herb scissors. They look great - especially for any stalky bits. I chop a lot of parsley and if it's not done finely for things like kefta, the meat can fall apart while you're putting them on the stick thingies. I use a curved knife like this now:
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Feb 11th, 2012 at 10:11am
Italian parsley for plate garnish
English for chopped. 12 inch Chef's knife for chopping on wooden board. To get rid of claggy chopped parsley, chop on board, put in tea towel, form a ball then twist. All excess juice will be expelled & then you have lovey chopped parley you can sprinkle like salt ;) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 11th, 2012 at 10:35am
Anyway thing to remember about parsley is that it's a flavour-out good for freshening breath and taking out bad bitter from soups stews and sauces.
Quote:
Antonio Carluccio, whose 'Southern Italian Feast' is one of the most useful cook books around actually. But perhaps because he found fame as a restaurateur in London, he was always banging on about Italian is best. Great cook and lovely guy though :-) Whilest we're on the subject never forget chervil, (winter parsley) much under used IMO |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 11th, 2012 at 11:01am
It's interesting how we put a uniquely Australian slant on Italian cooking. In Australia, they tend to chuck in the whole herb basket (Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, etc plus red wine) for Spaghetti Ragù, and totally overdo it. In Italy, they keep it far simpler and use the best ingredients. If you've tried buffalo mozzarella, you'll never go back to plain mozarrella.
The same goes for Tiramisù. Here, some people try to make it very 'authentically' using marscapone and cream. Ok, sometimes it's made that way in Italy, but In most cases in Italy (at least in Northern Italy), they use custard, but sometimes add marsala to the coffee in the base. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 11th, 2012 at 8:39pm Dsmithy70 wrote on Feb 11th, 2012 at 10:11am:
I'm going to give your way a try and see if kefta sticks easier with it. Not for a while though - my husband made it today and I over ate, so I don't even want to look at any kind of parsley right now. I'm parsley'd out. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 11th, 2012 at 10:39pm muso wrote on Feb 11th, 2012 at 8:59am:
News to me - I've never even seen them before. Are they easy to clean? They look like they might not be. When I chop up parsley I cut the leaves from the stalks, put them in a large mug and cut away with a pair of ordinary scissors until the parsley is the way I want it. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 13th, 2012 at 3:41am muso wrote on Feb 11th, 2012 at 11:01am:
I don't think there's any such thing as an 'authentic' recipe. Any person who loves to cook loves to make a recipe their own. Wikipedia says that tiramisu evolved from Zuppa Inglese which in turn came out of The English Elizabethan dessert trifle. A lot of fun to be had surfing desserts ;D A pound of sugar was worth 2 pigs, vanilla is a mexican orchid, (I always thought it was Asian) Sugared fish was big when it first came to Europe and cane refinery started off in India. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 13th, 2012 at 9:10am
I can't say I've ever come across a tiramisu made without mascarpone. It could taste nice, but it wouldn't be the same.
Maybe it's a Northerners thing.... Grey wrote on Feb 13th, 2012 at 3:41am:
Sounds a rather messy pastime. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 14th, 2012 at 10:32am Frances wrote on Feb 11th, 2012 at 10:39pm:
I never have a problem with cleaning them. If they are just used for herb leaves, you can wash them up either manually (eew) or in a dishwasher. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 14th, 2012 at 11:01am
Fair enough - I just thought that they looked as if they would be difficult to clean. I suppose a dishwasher would make it nice and easy, but we don't have one - and there's no room to put one in the kitchen at present....
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 14th, 2012 at 11:40am Grey wrote on Feb 13th, 2012 at 3:41am:
I suppose "standardised version" is the closest - the type that a professional chef would fall back on. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 14th, 2012 at 12:01pm
Leaving Italian food to one side for a minute (and that's not easy to do), speaking of trifle, the best trifle I've ever had was not in England, but in Scotland. I'm not an expert on trifle though, so I have no idea how "authentic" the recipe was. It was at a restaurant in The Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Not only did they serve up generous helpings of everything, the food was very reasonably priced too. Unfortunately the last time I was in Edinburgh, I went to go there for a meal and the place had closed down. I ended up going to Rocco's Italian Restaurant, one block away, next door to St Giles Cathederal.
There I am, back on Italian food again..... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 15th, 2012 at 4:36pm
The Scots make the best baked rice pudding too.
I've been making a lot of Biryiani lately, but I won't post a recipe because I cheat using Biryiani mix from the Asian shop. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 15th, 2012 at 8:20pm muso wrote on Feb 15th, 2012 at 4:36pm:
That's right discredit the English again. My dear fellow the Scots are hard pressed to make porridge. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 15th, 2012 at 10:38pm Grey wrote on Feb 15th, 2012 at 8:20pm:
And on what do you base that statement? If you are so knowledgable on the subject, would you care to enlighten us as to what makes the perfect porridge and where it can be found? Are you talking about steel cut or rolled oats or maybe some other grains? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 16th, 2012 at 11:42am Frances wrote on Feb 15th, 2012 at 10:38pm:
Based on my knowledge of the Scots, Frances. ;D I guess you might well be Scottish, as they were always fond of France. Look The Scots are very good at a number of things, engineering and science generally, military music, comedy festivals, annoying the English. But as cooks....I'm afraid if we (the English) didn't throw some offal and scraps over the wall from time to time so they can make that haggis abomination, they'd have starved centuries ago - okay salmon and grouse I'll grant you. Though grouse are more fun to shoot at than eat. Venison? Well that just shows how desperately hungry they are. Anybody can see that Scottish deer are to be looked at not eaten. It's a cold barren rocky place not much use for veggie growing. Especially the veggies native to central and Southern America any half decent cuisine relys on. I'd give a good recipe for porridge, but you'd think it pretentious and it lacks salt. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 16th, 2012 at 1:35pm Grey wrote on Feb 16th, 2012 at 11:42am:
I'm not, but my father was. Grey wrote on Feb 16th, 2012 at 11:42am:
Haggis is actually quite nice as long as you don't think (or don't care) about what it's made from. Grey wrote on Feb 16th, 2012 at 11:42am:
You mean you make porridge without salt? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 19th, 2012 at 4:05pm
A lot of my best friends are Scottish ;D (they are really).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH7khKVgbgg&feature=related |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 21st, 2012 at 1:58pm Grey wrote on Feb 16th, 2012 at 11:42am:
Well I was pleasantly surprised on my last visit to Aberdeen. They have some very good restaurants and the standard had definitely lifted since my previous trip. I think it's fair to say that the Scots have a new found confidence, especially with the prospect of independence. You did know of course that the standard of education in Scotland was always much higher than that in England. Prior to the Education Act, the literacy rate in England was in the low 30%'s, whereas Scotland had almost universal literacy for several hundred years before that, due to the prevalence of parish schooling. I remember being impressed by the high standard of handwriting of by 16th century relatives during my geneology research afe years ago. I've also been a Burns Night MC on many occasions, so if you want to cast cultural aspersions against the Scots, I have a mighty arsenal with which to fight back the English onslaught. ;D Quote:
- Aye, and tha's no how ye make porridge. ;D I used to eat haggis. On my visits to Scotland, I now eat vegetarian haggis. It's very tasty. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 21st, 2012 at 11:59pm muso wrote on Feb 21st, 2012 at 1:58pm:
That's so the clans could keep score and accounts of who had done the wrong thing by who. See above. Quote:
Impressing you wouldn't be hard if that sentence is anything to judge by. Quote:
Hit me with your best shot ;D Quote:
The best way to make porridge is to burn the recipe and make muesli instead. A vegetarian Haggis now there's a thing. We know what a vegetarian spaghetti ragu is, it's a spaghetti ragu without any meat. Pretty poor fare. But a vegetarian haggis... what's that? It's bullshyte isn't it? ;D Actually if you stuffed a condom with cow dung and boiled the crap out of it that's about as close as you could get ;D. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 2:48pm
You're just jealous because my Vegetable of the week is consistently better than yours. :P
I actually eat muesli for breakfast every morning, so I don't have a problem with it. Quote:
Quote:
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 3:49pm
An Englishwoman goes into a Scottish butcher shop and says to the butcher, "Bring me a sheep's head and make sure it is an English sheep."
The Scottish butcher puts his head in the back room and shouts out, "ONE SHEEP'S HEAD. AND TAKE OUT THE BRAINS!" |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 5:03pm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yxCI7hmI4s&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTPSYbeNaa8&feature=related |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by PoliticalPuppet on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 5:06pm
I hope someone has mentioned beetroot
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 5:11pm bobbythefap1 wrote on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 5:06pm:
Yeh, it's been done to chard :) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 6:44pm Grey wrote on Feb 21st, 2012 at 11:59pm:
Vegetarian haggis is really quite tasty. It's certainly a lot more wholesome than the real thing, which uses sheep's lung to add a bit of spiciness. It's similar to falafel in a way. I make a vegetarian pasta to die for. It includes fresh and sundried tomatoes,chopped mushrooms, capers, sliced olives, coarsely chopped garlic and shallots, with a dash of freshly chopped "basilico" and seasoned to perfection. I make fresh spinach tagliatelli to go with it. . |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 11:56pm muso wrote on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 6:44pm:
Then drop the pretence and call it a big falafel Quote:
If you added some minced beef and diced bacon it might well turn out okay :-) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 24th, 2012 at 12:05am muso wrote on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 6:44pm:
Sounds almost like Pasta Primavera (although I must say I prefer it with plain pasta) - one of my favourites. Have you ever thought about adding pine nuts to it? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 24th, 2012 at 7:07am Frances wrote on Feb 24th, 2012 at 12:05am:
I sometimes add pine nuts too. I forgot to mention that. I also sprinkle buffalo mozzarella on top although that's not easy to come by. There are many variants to that. It can be very nice with fagioli too (chopped beans) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by mantra on Feb 25th, 2012 at 7:32am muso wrote on Feb 23rd, 2012 at 6:44pm:
I'm amazed this thread is still going strong. So much for the Nationals - they pale into insignificance beside a tasty vegetable or recipe. I saw a cooking show where they made a vegetarian haggis - and it looked so much more appealing than the offal one, but can you still call it haggis if it consists of only vegetables? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 25th, 2012 at 6:31pm
Yes you can, Mantra.
Here is a more conventional set of ingredients. Having tasted the original in my time and the vegetarian version, the tastes are very similar. The real taste of haggis is due to the seasoning. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 small carrot, finely chopped 5 fresh mushrooms, finely chopped 1 cup vegetable broth 1/3 cup dry red lentils 2 tablespoons canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed 3 tablespoons ground peanuts 2 tablespoons ground hazelnuts 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice 1 egg, beaten 1 1/3 cups steel cut oats Now Gray might like to refer to it as a big falafel, but then that's his English heritage showing through. I can't blame him for something he was born with. You've got to show some compassion for them sometimes. I've seen Englishmen who play a passable Piobaireachd too. Almost as good as the genuine Ceòl Mór. Of course any true Scotsman can tell that they're just wannabe's. :-X (I wasn't actually born there, but it's in the blood.) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 25th, 2012 at 6:36pm
Ain't nothin' wrong with falafel.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Karnal on Feb 25th, 2012 at 10:18pm
Matty won't touch it. It's halal.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 25th, 2012 at 10:22pm
I bet he's had his share of kosher salami.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 25th, 2012 at 11:15pm
Could Grey maybe be vilifying an English dish, I wonder? Apparently the first known written recipe for haggis (referred to as "hagese") is in the cookbook "Liber Cure Cocorum" dating from around 1430 from Lancashire, in England.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 26th, 2012 at 10:24am Annie Anthrax wrote on Feb 25th, 2012 at 6:36pm:
Exactly, I enjoy a falafel kebab. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 26th, 2012 at 10:27am Annie Anthrax wrote on Feb 25th, 2012 at 10:22pm:
Let's not go there. (It sound like a phallacy anyway.) This is the Vegetable thread. Please cease and desist with meat innuendos (is that an Italian pun?) around here. Please change the subject to cucumbers, zucchinis etc. Perhaps eggplants are a safer subject. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 26th, 2012 at 10:52am Annie Anthrax wrote on Feb 25th, 2012 at 6:36pm:
Couldn't agree more Annie, but if you make a really big falafel that's what it should be called. You can't call vegetarian ball , a vegetarian haggis. Haggis is a practically 100% meat dish, an offal one at that. Let's put it another way, if I minced up a load of offal, put in a few spices and made balls out of it would it be right to call it a 'meaty falafel'? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 26th, 2012 at 11:13am muso wrote on Feb 26th, 2012 at 10:27am:
Ahhhh Aubergine, melanzana or perhaps most properly, (given its Indian origins) Brinjal. truly the king of vegtables. Tip: If pickling in strips half dry in the oven first for an extra chewy texture. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 26th, 2012 at 12:51pm Grey wrote on Feb 26th, 2012 at 10:52am:
Oh really? Now would that be the English version that's practically 100% meat? Don't they add onions and oatmeal south of the border? Vegetarian haggis is free of chickpeas. Falafel is practically 90% chickpeas with a few other essential minor ingredients. All I said was that vego haggis tasted a bit like falafel. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 26th, 2012 at 3:56pm muso wrote on Feb 26th, 2012 at 10:27am:
I can't stop laughing at this. I think there's something wrong with me today. Has anyone had baby eggplants stuffed with walnuts, garlic and chili cured in olive oil?? They're delicious. Can't remember if I've mentioned them before. I think I have but perhaps it was in a PM. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nYfNS6aPqXA/TDXpRuESy7I/AAAAAAAAAUE/dcMpMQOjVq8/s1600/makdous+zoom.JPG |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 26th, 2012 at 3:58pm
Holy crap. That turned out to be bigger than I thought it would.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 26th, 2012 at 5:06pm
- but it sounds like a winner. No matter what I cook with eggplants, I've never had a failure yet.
I made a huge batch of biryiani last week using tomatoes, eggplant, zucchinis, cabbage and onion. I saw an interesting recipe on Jamie Oliver's 30 minute segment. It was for "petit pois a la francais" (The BBC's title, not mine) I might try it without the bacon and substituting vegetable stock: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/petitpoisalafrancais_84115 I would tend to call it "Petits Pois à la Française" myself, but the English being English, love to display an ignorant pride in deliberately mangling French grammar. Anyway, the peas are done is a creamy sauce with cooked lettuce. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 26th, 2012 at 5:17pm
How do you do the biryani? (sorry - do you hate when people ask for recipes - it's a bit of typing, I know).
I am myself a grammar mangler of the little French I know, so I'm impressed by your proficiency. My little cousin spent some of last year in France on a language exchange program. Had a blast, by all accounts. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 27th, 2012 at 1:56pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Feb 26th, 2012 at 3:58pm:
Bet you say that to all the boys. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Feb 27th, 2012 at 2:01pm muso wrote on Feb 26th, 2012 at 12:51pm:
There's no such thing as an English Haggis or a Vegetarian haggis. Ask any true Scotsman. ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 27th, 2012 at 2:06pm Grey wrote on Feb 27th, 2012 at 1:56pm:
I was wondering if someone was going to say that..... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Feb 27th, 2012 at 5:11pm Grey wrote on Feb 27th, 2012 at 1:56pm:
I've been told it's more flattering than pointing and laughing ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 1st, 2012 at 12:52pm Grey wrote on Feb 27th, 2012 at 2:01pm:
Well actually I did! When I was in Scotland on holiday last year I enquired of the assistant in Sainsbury's as to which aisle the vegetarian haggis were located in. He certainly had a Scottish accent, and in true Scotsman fashion, he replied "Och aye!" True to his word, he guided my way to a collection of about three different varieties of those particular allegedly non-existing haggi made by separate manufacturers. One of these was actually made in England :o Now that might be surprising to some, however it appears that the English actually eat more haggis than the Scots: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/9038376/English-eat-more-haggis-than-Scots.html Quote:
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 1st, 2012 at 3:35pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Feb 26th, 2012 at 5:17pm:
I usually find something on the net that's close, then modfy it. Here's what I usually do. For rice add 2 parts water for 1 part rice. For buryani, the vegetables release water, so use 1 3/4 parts of water. You can vary this recipe if you don't have a pressure cooker: Ingredients: 2 cups Basmati Rice 1 cup Mixed Vegetables (cauliflower, potato, carrot, french beans) 150 gms Green Peas 3 Finely Sliced red (Indian) onions or one large red salad onion. 2 Finely Sliced Green Chillies Salt to taste 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder 2 tsp Cinnamon(dalchini), Optional : Caraway Seeds(zeera) 4 Cloves (laung) 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder 4 Tomatoes chopped 1/2 cup Yogurt (curd) 4 tbsp Vegetable Oil 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds (prefer black) 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds 1 heaped tsp garlic paste 1 heaped tsp ginger paste 1 tblsp cashew nuts How to make vegetable biryani : Wash the basmati rice well before cooking. Then take drained rice with 3-3/4 cup water and a little salt added to it. Cook it in pressure cooker (or in a pan or microwave). Cut all the vegetables into small thin pieces and fry each of them in oil. Fry the green peas also. Take 1 tblsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilli, cinnamon , cloves, black pepper powder and stir for about half minute. Then add onions and salt and saute them for a minute or till they get pink in color. Then add red chilli powder and stir. Add fine chopped tomatoes and fry till they are properly cooked. Add all the fried vegetables. Add the cooked rice and mix well lightly so that the rice grain doesn't break. Cook for a further 3 minutes. Take this vegetable biryani out in a rice serving dish. Garnish as required: Serve the vegetable (veg ) biryani hot with raita or yoghurt and pickle. (plus coriander or whatever) Some people add the yoghurt while it is cooking. I prefer it not to look gluggy when served, so I serve the yoghurt separately with the dish. It's definitely nice to add the yoghurt to taste. I like heaps of it, but not everybody does. An easy and quick alternative which is almost as good: Buy some biryiani masala spice mix from the Indian grocer. Use that instead of the spices above. Add the rice and water to the pressure cooker. Fry the onions, garlic and ginger (Plus cumin and mustard seeds if you want - better fresh) in oil. Then add the whole lot to the pressure cooker and cook for 15 minutes. Serve as before. Interesting points: Biryiani is a staple food eaten mainly by Muslims in India and Pakistan. If you use the pre-mix, it's a very easy dish to prepare. There are various varieties of biryiani pre-mix but I prefer biryiani masala. "Masala" originally comes from the same Indo-European word as "salt". It originally meant powder, however masala now means "spiced". Biryiani comes from a word meaning "fried". |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 1st, 2012 at 5:02pm muso wrote on Mar 1st, 2012 at 12:52pm:
Yeh yeh, it's a revolution all across England. Cornish are dumping pasties in favour of haggis, in Somerset it's found to be just the thing to wash down with cider, in london people sneer at their full English breakfast and boil up a haggis instead. You can't find a Yorkshire pudding in yorkshire anymore, no, folks have turned to Vegetarien haggis instead. All that proves is if you google something you'd like to have been said, you'll find some fool said it, usually in the Torygraph. What is possible is that more haggis are sold outside Scotland than in, mainly because there are more Scots outside Scotland than in. then there's the boys from Alabami and Mississippi, fly in to London and haven't got time to go to Scotland so they pick up a haggis or two to prove to the Klan they went and had a great time. Vegetarians, it's well known, will call something a 'vegeterian T/Bone' in the quest to prove they don't miss out. It don't fool me none, isn't it time you had your B vitamins shot? ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 1st, 2012 at 5:48pm
I don't actually need them because as I said before, I'm a pescatarian to be more accurate.
That means that I have fish roughly once per week. Now despite that, I was taking multivitamins until my doctor sternly told me to stop taking them because they were not necessary given my diet. FWIW, you're absolutely right. If you want to say something, Google will find somebody else that says the same. Let's try cats are dogs: http://historicmysteries.com/scotlands-mystery-cats Quote:
White is really black: http://thinkexist.com/quotes/saint_ignatius_of_loyola/ Quote:
Yes, that makes sense. All men are women? ..... All men are women with beards (interview with Claude Lelouch ....etc Quite amusing, but it has to be applied with some discrimination. Quote:
Yes I know, Google tells me that they're the dernier cri at the Castle Inn in Suffolk: http://www.thecastleinn.net/ Quote:
Actually there is a dish that's basically chicken wrapped in bacon and stuffed with haggis. It's growing in popularity throughout the UK. It's called Balmoral Chicken. I remember seeing it on a menu in Aberdeen, and I was told of its popularity then. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 1st, 2012 at 8:43pm Grey wrote on Mar 1st, 2012 at 5:02pm:
You mean the English are revolting? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 1st, 2012 at 9:06pm Frances wrote on Mar 1st, 2012 at 8:43pm:
No I was just being sarcastic Frances. It's the Scottish who are revolting (again). It seems they want 'independence' from Britain. They think they'll get bigger handouts from Europe, failing to take into account the imminent collapse of Europe, after having given away all the money to the corrupt elites of Greece and Italy. Ahhh to be canny like the Scots* ;D (* sorry, that's me being sarcastic again) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 1st, 2012 at 9:07pm
I love having a thread to be bad in :-)
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 1st, 2012 at 9:26pm
Bad vegetable:
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 1st, 2012 at 9:44pm
Your mention of "Vegetarian t-bone" is quite accurate by the way. I have seen them at Yuen's market in Brisbane together with vegetarian spare ribs and vegetarian drumsticks. There is an amazing range of "vegetarian meats", mostly Chinese or from the Chinese community.
http://www.lamyong.com.au/vmas1.html The only one I have from time to time is Vegetarian Chinese roast pork. It's not bad in a stir fry. I hate to think what fate a gluten-intolerant person would suffer if he/she accidentally ate one of these products, because they actually use wheat gluten to give most of these foods their characteristic meat-like texture. In fact it's a major ingredient. The vegetarian chicken drumsticks use something like a wooden ice-cream stick with strips of "vegetarian meat" wound around it. I tried it once. It was revolting. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 1st, 2012 at 10:15pm muso wrote on Feb 24th, 2012 at 7:07am:
We went to the Paesanella Cheese Shop at Haberfield and got some buffalo mozzarella there, one was Italian and the other was Australian. I've heard that the Italian buffalo mozzarella is creamier than the Australian (something to do with the grass they eat perhaps?) but I've never had any before. Looks like there's a bit of a taste test coming up.... We also got a bit carried away and ended up spending $75.00 - we also bought: > grated parmesan (grano padano) > a piece of parmesan (grano padano) > prima donna cheese (a Dutch cheese that is a bit like pecorino but milder and softer - never heard of it before, but it tasted nice) > sliced provelone > pecorino pepato > dried olives > prosciutto crudo > jamon serrano |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 2nd, 2012 at 1:09pm muso wrote on Mar 1st, 2012 at 9:44pm:
I honestly thought I was exaggerating, it's wrong innit? I mean all jokes aside naming everything after meat demeans vegetarian dishes. (Almost as good as the meat version) Nobody ever had to apologise for Ratatouille, no meat there (except for the rats of course). |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 2nd, 2012 at 8:16pm
Frances - I'm very jealous. Let me know what you think of the Buffalo Mozzarella.
Grey wrote: Quote:
Yeah - I have to agree in general. The vegetarian roast pork with the red glaze is very tasty though. I don't know why they have to call it that though who cares if it tastes good? The same supplier sells rolls of "vegetarian ham". You can get original flavour, bacon flavour and chicken flavour. ;D The chicken flavour when minced does enhance the taste of chinese sweet corn soup. It's a texture thing. In the UK, they have a much better range of vegetarian sausages. They are really nice. I can see why people would eat them. If there's a barbecue, it's more socially inclusive to eat the vegetarian version. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 2nd, 2012 at 8:32pm muso wrote on Mar 2nd, 2012 at 8:16pm:
It'd be a lot more socially inclusive to have a few on hand in case the odd veggie shows up, but i've no objection to veggie sausages. it's a shape, not a cut of meat. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Mar 3rd, 2012 at 7:49am
Thanks for the recipe, Muso.
This is such a great thread. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 3rd, 2012 at 8:41am Annie Anthrax wrote on Mar 3rd, 2012 at 7:49am:
It is. It's a refuge from the train wrecks and "Carr Crashes", the back stabbing and the name calling. It's no wonder that people are apathetic. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 3rd, 2012 at 10:57am
I'm working right now on a vegetarian formula for Albondigas. But I shant call them Albondigas of course because that would be wrong. I was thinking 'Mexican testicles', whaddya reckon?
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Mar 3rd, 2012 at 11:00am
Yummo!
;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 3rd, 2012 at 11:10am Annie Anthrax wrote on Mar 3rd, 2012 at 11:00am:
I feel as deeply wounded as Jasignature, wench. You were supposed to ask for the recipe! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 3rd, 2012 at 11:18am
She asked for my recipe.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 3rd, 2012 at 11:23am
She asked for your recipe because she feels sorry for you. She didn't ask for mine because she's playing hard to get.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 7th, 2012 at 10:37pm Quote:
I won, Mac Haggis Burger ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 8th, 2012 at 11:23pm Grey wrote on Mar 7th, 2012 at 10:37pm:
I'm glad you won a McHaggis burger. Here's another article from your favourite rag. It seems they will put Scotland on the map. The McHaggis Burger actually exists. I saw one at Waverley Station in Edinburgh a few years ago: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1329387/McHaggis-Burger-plan-to-put-Scotland-on-menu.html Speaking of winning, I take it that your lack of English onslaught was a failure to challenge. Do you think that would count as victory by default? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 9th, 2012 at 1:39pm Quote:
I think therefore it exists, I am the shyte Midas (dashes head against the wall) Quote:
When your enemy has run away and not been seen for days, I think that's a pretty conclusive victory ;D Nice to see you repond to taunts though, 'get up yer bastard' ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 10th, 2012 at 11:22am
Well there is a little thing called work. Sometimes it takes priority.
However I must admit that I missed any come-back on your initial challenge. It must have been a very weak retort. It's a bit like the flags. A lion couchant can easily be mistaken for a pussycat, whereas with the rampant version, there is no doubt. Above: 3 Lions Couchant (3 very scared gay pussy cats. Their colour (yellow) is also symbolic - English Lion Rampant (upright, red blooded and poised ready to defend) - Scotland Quote:
I think it was more a case of hanging around waiting for something to happen, yawning a couple of times, getting bored and wandering off. "Run away" doesn't quite convey the subtle reality. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 10th, 2012 at 1:34pm muso wrote on Mar 10th, 2012 at 11:22am:
You would have a point, if only symbols didn't represent things and were the thing itself. The world is full of tinpot principalities who do a big talk with symbols. England could be represented with a dandelion; but it's still 'Good morning' the world says and not 'Madainn mhath'. I rather like the idea of being represented by three stretching pussycats. If I ever become a media mogul I'll use it. Let's get serious :) (A) is for Artichoke It's a thistle y'know, that's some kind of symbolic peace offering :-) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 11th, 2012 at 6:34am
Artichoke hearts are one of my favourite antipasti.
By the way, did you know how the thistle became the emblem of Scotland? Well, legend has it that a sleeping party of Scots warriors were almost set upon by an invading band of marauding English (actually Northumbrians), and here we need a brief historical explanation. When I say English, this was actually before the time that England was a country. Scotland became a unified country under Kenneth McAlpin in 843. England at this time was divided into roughly 12 kingdoms, and the North of England (Northumbria) was occupied by Danes, who spoke a subtly different language. England was finally unified in 927, 84 years after Scotland. Anyway, getting back to the legend, this band of Scottish warriors were saved when one of the attackers trod on a wild thistle with his bare feet. His cries raised the alarm and the roused Scots duly defeated the assailants. The plant became known as the Guardian Thistle and was adopted as the symbol of Scotland. Quote:
...but the world still sings "Auld Lang Syne" The pejorative Scottish word for English is Sasunnach (pl Sasunniach), and Sassun (derived from "Saxon") means England. It's a Gaelic word. Gaelic is spoken in the North West of Scotland only. The lingua franca elsewhere in Scotland in historical times has been a variety of English known as the Scots Leid, and official documents were written in the Scots Leid right up to the 17th Century. So to get back on to the topic, the thistle is of course related to the artichoke but it too can be used in cooking (also Milk thistle). It has a similar flavour to artichoke. So for my next recipe, I'm going to present Thistles with Chickpeas and Spinach in a garlic sauce. You can substitute artichoke if you wish. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 11th, 2012 at 6:35am
Milk Thistles with Chickpeas and Spinach
For the vegetable stock: Onions, Garlic, Celery. Leek,Tomato, Soy sauce and Sesame oil For the thistles: Onions, Leeks, Zucchinis and Thistles (Milk thistles, not the prickly sort) Red wine A bunch of spinach Macadamia nuts Let’s start preparing the vegetable stock. Fry the onion, a couple of mashed garlic cloves, the leek and the celery over a high heat, so that the vegetables start to a brown. Then, place the vegetables in a casserole with cold water together with a tomato, a generous splash of soy sauce and a little bit of sesame oil. Be careful with the sesame oil, as it has a very pervasive flavour. It's best to start preparing the stock the previous day. This way, the flavours will be concentrated and the stock will have settled down. The result is worth it. Chickpeas are best soaked overnight in water unless you have a pressure cooker. With a pressure cooker, they take about an hour to cook properly. Without a pressure cooker, allow a couple of hours. Don't cook at too high a heat or you'll burn them. Once the chickpeas are tender, cool them down and retain the chickpea stock. Before starting to prepare the stir-fry, we need to cook the thistles. Cut the ends if they are dry and remove the stringy parts. Then chop the thistles as you wish, and now we can prepare the stir-fry. Now proceed to fry the vegetables as always, first the onion, and then the leek and the thinly chopped zucchini. Add the thistles, fry until these get a brownish colour, and wash down with a generous splash of red wine. Leave the mixture to boil down and then add the vegetable stock a bit at a time until the thistles are tender. The thistles will be well cooked after approximately half an hour. If you don't have enough vegetable stock, use water. When the thistles are almost ready, prepare a frying pan over a medium heat and toast the chopped macadamia nuts. Add the raw spinach leaves and lightly fry both ingredients. Be careful at this point because the spinach leaves contain a lot of water so it will spit at you. Finally, add the chickpeas and the spinach to the thistles. You can add as much vegetable stock as you want. You can also add the chickpea stock and this will result in a thicker texture. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Mar 11th, 2012 at 10:28am
I've never tasted artichoke or milk thistle. I hadn't even heard of milk thistle.
This thread is an education. Today I'm cooking kefta meatballs in a tomato based sauce with slices of fried potato and onion and lots of garlic. You can make it in a tahini sauce too. My husband made a fish curry yesterday that was a bit too hot, but all the better for it. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 11th, 2012 at 8:55pm
'Well defended' may actually be a marker for 'good to eat'. Stinging nettle is probably the most tasty and nutritious greens to eat. A quick dip in boiling water removes the sting of course.
I'll pay Auld lang syne, I've reached my 'being bad' limit :-) But you must know the Scots were forced into independence by the Romans, who built a wall across and labelled the land beyond as 'Picts' which basically translates as 'bugger'em'. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 12th, 2012 at 9:10pm Grey wrote on Mar 11th, 2012 at 8:55pm:
The Picti or painted people didn't include all inhabitants North of Hadrian's Wall (or even the Antonine wall) The Picts spoke a distinctive language which was probably slightly similar to Welsh, while the Welsh themselves occupied most of Southern Scotland right up to 315AD+, the nominal date when the Romans forsook Britain (and everybody else in the Western Empire). Hen Coel (Old King Coel) was one such Welsh inhabitant of Southern Scotland. Then there was the complication of Dalriada. The original "Scots" actually came from Ireland and founded Dalriada. A few words : Cruidhne - that's what the Scots called the Picts. That word is equivalent to Prythain or Brythain, because there are two branches of the Celtic language - the Q branch (or goidelic) and the Brythonic or P-Branch Celtic. They tend to swap over P's and C's in the different branches. So for example, "Head" is Ceann in Scottish Gaelic and Pen in Welsh. pedwar and pump are Welsh for 4 and 5. The Gaelic versions are ceithar and coig. hmmm am I digressing? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by mantra on Mar 13th, 2012 at 8:17am
I haven't tasted fresh milkthistle, although I've taken it in various herbal medicines on occasion. I used to let them grow in my garden as they're not only tasty to birds and small animals, but the milk is excellent for their health and a cure for some ailments.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 13th, 2012 at 12:27pm muso wrote on Mar 12th, 2012 at 9:10pm:
Just a bit, but I'll amend 'bugger'em' to 'bugger'em all' if it makes you happy ;D I must put you in touch with Guthrie, a pal who's very into re-enactments and arcane alchemy. Guthrie's the hand holding the moulding I'm pretty sure, he's very big. (on edit) No of course it is BOTH Guthrie :-) He looks a bit thin in the face in that shot. http://www.leithandnorth.org.uk/features2009/polish_medieval_tournament_market_09/indexII.php |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Mar 14th, 2012 at 12:42pm Pass me the BACON! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 14th, 2012 at 1:28pm
I met a Scotsman once who loved his wife so much he very nearly told her.
National vegtable, the thistle. National dish, Offal stuffed in offal. No matter how you dress it, the evidence mounts. ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 14th, 2012 at 1:53pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Mar 11th, 2012 at 10:28am:
Now I must address this Annie, because the artichoke heart is required eating. I thotoughly recommend growing them if you have a garden because (a) they're quite expensive to buy and easy to grow. (b) They have to be picked at the optimum moment. They are steamed and are best eaten while talking for a lunch time snack. The edible bit is the little dab of flesh at the base of each sepal and finally the centre. If the artichoke is too developed the centre has the parachutes of the thistle seed too developed; a bit like eating asbestos fibre. If it's too underdeveloped... well it's not too bad actually what you lose on the roundabout (the dab on the sepals) you gain on the swings, (the centre or 'heart'). Smear your steamed artichoke with butter, grate over salt & pepper, squeeze a lemon over it and pull off the sepals one by one and scrape off the base between your teeth. Maintain an elegant pose ;D the deeper you strip, the more edible flesh is exposed. Jars of hearts that are marinated can be bought. These are delicious, great in salads, but not the same as the fresh and lack ceremony. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 14th, 2012 at 1:55pm Grey wrote on Mar 14th, 2012 at 1:28pm:
The only Scots who eat thistles are those who went on holiday to Spain and tasted it there :) It's not traditionally eaten in Scotland. The Scots are actually not that big on haggis either, although many tend to partake around January 25 every year. By the way (horror of horrors) the Scots are not allowed to sell haggis in sheep's stomachs these days because of JK disease concerns and probably EC regulations. Most haggis is in a synthetic bag or a pig's stomach. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 14th, 2012 at 1:58pm Dsmithy70 wrote on Mar 14th, 2012 at 12:42pm:
That's what's called cherry picked data smithy. How many 51 y/o's look like the one on the right? ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 14th, 2012 at 2:41pm muso wrote on Mar 14th, 2012 at 1:58pm:
Quote:
At 67 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbC0a8W0_I4&feature=related |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 16th, 2012 at 7:22am
It all comes back to statistics. You can't use one contrary example to show that statistical trends are wrong. In fact any statistical trend will have a small number of contrary examples.
This picture might amuse you: Here's a 70 year old Vegetarian who doesn't look bad at all for her age. http://prime.peta.org/contest-sexyveg-over50-winners.php |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Jasignature on Mar 16th, 2012 at 6:58pm
Jasignature :D
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Mar 16th, 2012 at 9:00pm Grey wrote on Mar 14th, 2012 at 1:53pm:
Oh my goodness, Grey. I can't pat my head and rub my tummy at the same time. I think artichokes might be beyond me. I'll by a jar of hearts and give those a whirl. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 20th, 2012 at 6:21pm
I am impatient for vegetation news. ::)
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 21st, 2012 at 12:11am
OK, just back from the big smoke (and found a new Vego shop).OK iIn two words - purple carrots.
I'll come up with ideas tomorrow, unless you can beat me to it. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 22nd, 2012 at 2:56am
I bought a few myself intending to plant them so I could get some seed off them. I forgot and they are dessicated now. Oh well I'll get some more. They might make an interesting coleslaw.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 22nd, 2012 at 3:36pm
A bit of variety in colour can make a lot of difference in taste. Most of the chemicals responsible for the colour are also good anti-oxidants, such as catorene, beta carotene, anthocyanins etc.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Mar 26th, 2012 at 3:28pm Gin & Tonic 2 oz Gin 5 oz Tonic Why a G&T in a vegetable thread, you ask? Well my friends Hendrick's Gin allows us to fall into the mystery of unusual pairings. In a normal G&T you would garnish with Lemon or Lime however Hendrick's quirk is Cucumber. Yes that's right, the lonely women's favourite drink combined with her favourite vegetable ;) G&T made on Hendricks, garnished with lemon or lime - MEH Garnished & stirred with a cucumber stick - OMFG |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 26th, 2012 at 3:37pm
I'll give that suggestion a miss - cucumber doesn't agree with me....
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 26th, 2012 at 5:24pm Frances wrote on Mar 26th, 2012 at 3:37pm:
Have you tried deseeding it Francis? I always clean out the seed ad soft pulp with a teaspoon. A much more satisfactory salad IMO. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 26th, 2012 at 9:38pm
MY vegetable of the week is the Luffa. (Karnal - This is not a toilet accessory)
I was given one of these curious vegetables last week, so I've been doing some research on how best to cook it. Here is my suggested serving +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ingredients: 750g Luffa, peeled 30-45 ml Peanut or sesame oil 2 French Shallots, halved and sliced 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped 115g Button (white) mushrooms, quartered 15mls Mushroom sauce (Chinese grocer) 10mls Soy sauce 4 Spring onions chopped into 2 cm pieces 25 g Chopped fresh mint leaves (some might like coriander) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cut the luffa squash diagonally into 2 cm pieces. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy pan,. Stir in the shallots and garlic and once they begin to color, add the mushrooms. Add the mushroom sauce and soy sauce, followed by the sliced squash. Reduce the heat and cover the wok or pan, allowing the squash to soften in the steam for a few minutes. Add the spring onions and mint and serve immediately. luffa.JPG (51 KB | 82
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 26th, 2012 at 10:42pm Grey wrote on Mar 26th, 2012 at 5:24pm:
Doesn't make any difference. I can take Lebanese cucumber in small quantities but if I have more than three or four slices, or if I have any other sort of cucumber at all, I know about it for the next few hours.... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by dsmithy70 on Mar 27th, 2012 at 2:41pm
Here is a wonderful starter using the Mysterious pairings.
Fresh Figs served with Balsamic Vinegar & shaved Parmesan Cheese. N.B not too much Vinegar,pour into bowl & dip cut side of figs into vinegar, shake off excess & place slither of cheese on top. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 27th, 2012 at 3:38pm
Good one. My favourite pairing: Wedges of camembert served on a nice firm slice of fresh pear.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Mar 28th, 2012 at 12:40pm muso wrote on Mar 27th, 2012 at 3:38pm:
I second that, in fact any cheese and apple/pear/nashi combination has long been a favourite snack. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Apr 23rd, 2012 at 1:39am
Saw some nice artichokes at the fruit shop the other day, but they were $3 each, so I didn't get any. Maybe it's the end of the season. I think their season is mainly spring and summer.
My mother-in-law used to stuff them with breadcrumbs and anchovies. I prefer to just steam them and sprinkle some olive oil over them when they're done. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Grey on Apr 25th, 2012 at 2:38am
Pomegranates a slight return. Having reduced my three litres of juice to a paste, but not burnt and very good. I found this recipe which looks very good also. to say the least.
http://www.persiancity.com/recipes/recipe.asp?ID=2 "Don't use the pomegranate inhospitably, a stranger that has come so far to pay his respects to thee," the English Quaker Peter Collinson wrote to the botanizing John Bartram in Philadelphia, 1762. "Plant it against the side of thy house, nail it close to the wall. In this manner it thrives wonderfully with us, and flowers beautifully, and bears fruit this hot year. I have twenty-four on one tree... Doctor Fothergill says, of all trees this is most salutiferous* (*it means health giving) to mankind." |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Apr 25th, 2012 at 10:49am
I find pomegranates difficult to eat. The membrane between the seeds is very bitter (I know you're not supposed to eat it) and the seeds themselves are not very palatable. They are best juiced.
My latest experiment was with zucchini and garlic bread. I make this bread with (flour and yeast of course), yoghurt and olive oil. It's delicious. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on May 2nd, 2012 at 1:43pm
While we're on the subject of cooking, Ghalya Mahmoud is the Egyptian TV chef who provided some light relief during the revolution, and who some Egypians would most like to be president :)
During the revolution, her cooking shows were more popular than the news. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgSAmuU9qkk&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLE98C172A7F0C4CA6 She cooks a mean Taro with chard. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on May 2nd, 2012 at 2:11pm
We went to the Botanic Gardens Restaurant last weekend and my entrée was a pomegranate, rocket and fennel salad. It was delicious.
Very nice, but not the sort of thing you can afford to do too often - the entrée awas around $15, not to mention the cost of the glass of champagne, the main course, wine, dessert and coffee..... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on May 11th, 2012 at 11:03am Frances wrote on May 2nd, 2012 at 2:11pm:
Now Rocket is one of these plants, like Coriander leaves that are an acquired taste that I'm very unlikely to acquire. Mental note: Must share my Moroccan Vegetarian Tagine recipe. It uses chewy grilled portobella mushroom (that take the place of lamb), together with apricots, ras el hanout (moroccan spices), garlic, lime, fresh turmeric, potatoes carrots, caramelised onions (added at the end), and thickened with mashed chickpeas (or houmus). The carrots and apricot masquerade as each other, providing an interesting surprise for the palate. Served with fried seasoned egg plant and a side dish of cous cous (or Khoubz if you prefer) . - yum. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Aug 25th, 2012 at 1:18am
What's happened? Have we all stopped talking about vegetables?
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Nov 19th, 2013 at 7:29pm
Anybody grown/cooked salsify?
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 19th, 2013 at 8:48pm St George of the Garden wrote on Nov 19th, 2013 at 7:29pm:
I haven't, but I recall that it looks like a parsnip. Currently growing okra and looking forward to harvesting it in the summer. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Nov 25th, 2013 at 10:31am
This Topic was moved here from Cats and Critters by muso.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 7th, 2014 at 5:48pm
A few litres, 3-4, of red, unctuous sauce slowly coming to the boil—dry roasted 8Kg tomatoes with lots of herbs and just passed them through my little tomato processing machine. Going to simmer it down into beautiful thick sauce, then can it.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by John Smith on Jan 7th, 2014 at 5:54pm St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 7th, 2014 at 5:48pm:
i remember helping do something similar to that as a kid ... my parents would make about 300 bottles of it each year, all from tomatoes my dad grew himself. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 7th, 2014 at 6:03pm
I use my own maters but usually end up buying a box or two of sauce tomatoes at the farmers market just to pad out the supply. My machine is the smallest electric machine you can buy, fine for me doing up to 10Kg at a time. Only thing I don’t like—the peels come out too close to where the sauce comes out.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by John Smith on Jan 7th, 2014 at 6:29pm St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 7th, 2014 at 6:03pm:
the sad part is that it is fast becoming lost knowledge .... we used to make home made salami as a kid too ... nothing you buy is remotely comparable ... these days it's getting harder and harder to find some, the older generation are getting to old to do it, and the younger generation say its easier to go to maccas. It won't be long no one will know how to make it anymore .. it's a pity. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by greggerypeccary on Jan 7th, 2014 at 6:46pm Frances wrote on Aug 25th, 2012 at 1:18am:
Here's one for ya ... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 7th, 2014 at 7:04pm
Yeah, it is sad. In my 66 years I have eaten two Macca burger imitations—once to try them, next, many years ago, I was working real late and Maccas was the only place open. they gave me some free onion rings (they were about to close too) but even those had little taste.
But I make my own pasta and tomato sauce, my own jams and jellies etc and have built up quite a library which I will leave to whoever of my nieces and nephews or their offspring might make best use of it. Getting hard to buy stuff for preserving tho. I also brew my own beer, mostly ales which I love. Have my offset smoker—a hot smoker, cooks food and flavors it with smoke. Will think about making a cold smoker some time. Going to get into fermented foods like gherkins, sauerkraut, sourdough. Then cheese/yoghurt then will consider fermented meat like salami. Good thing is—learning and trying all this stuff out—keeps the stuff behind my eyes from turning to noughat! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by John Smith on Jan 7th, 2014 at 9:25pm St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 7th, 2014 at 7:04pm:
good on you .. I wish I had the time to try them myself (or maybe its because I can be a little lazy when I want to be ;) ;)) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 8th, 2014 at 6:43am
I am retired and enjoying that (would rather still be working 6 days a week in my home brew shop) and do the growing and preserving etc to keep the old brain active.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 8th, 2014 at 10:55am
Five 500ml jars of whole peeled tomatoes in the waterbath! To turn into lovely spicy salsa when the habanero chilies can be harvested! Since these weren’t cooked, unlike with sauce, the jars will be in the waterbath for 60 minutes.
Canning (bottling in UK speak which I don’t like—I bottle my ales, meads and wines) is pretty safe if you take note of a few cautions: 1. Only fruit has enough acidity to make it safe to bottle (veges can be pickled or canned under pressure at very high temperatures) I add 1/2 tsp citric acid to 500ml jars when canning tomatoes. 2. The water level in the canning bath should be 3cm above the lid of the tallest jar. Water must be simmering—190°F/88°C. Been canning for some years—never got sick from any of my preserves. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 15th, 2014 at 2:54pm
Over two dozen jars passata and am about to can a batch of strawberry and lemon conserve using mostly my own strawberries. Bit of a bother doing this in the heatwave but I persevere.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Jan 15th, 2014 at 3:09pm
I'm going to make a stir fry with minced pork and tofu tonight. I don't think soya beans have featured in this thread yet.....
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by life_goes_on on Jan 15th, 2014 at 4:10pm
Freeze the tofu, then defrost it.
The stuff firms right up. It's amazing... magical even. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Jan 15th, 2014 at 4:16pm
The tofu I have is the firm one, so it will be OK as is, I might try that next time I use one of the softer varieties though.
I'll be stir frying the pork mince first, then I'll add garlic, chillies and onion, then soy sauce, bean paste, wine, stock and spring onions. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Jan 16th, 2014 at 9:27pm
I wasn't quite so adventurous today. For tonight's dinner I made a frittata and as side dishes, pan fried mushrooms and onion, and a lettuce and tomato salad.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 17th, 2014 at 3:29pm
For an unadventurous meal that sounds very tempting! I just cooked an omelette last night and used up the bit of pancetta I had left, with a bit of a salad. Been too hot for too many days and nights this week in Adelaide to want to cook and eat!
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Jan 20th, 2014 at 12:39pm
I'll be cutting some of the rainbow chard that I'm growing in the backyard for tonight's dinner. The plants are still a bit small, but the leaves are big enough to use now. The rest of the lettuce should be ready by next week - I've already used two of them.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 20th, 2014 at 12:43pm
LOVE chard, generous amount of fresh nutmeg grated on to it, hmmmm.
Versatile too, can make spinach gnocchi, canneloni and ravioli etc |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Jan 20th, 2014 at 12:51pm
Given that the leaves are fairly small at the moment, I was thinking of using them in a salad, maybe with some tomatoes. Once the plants are a bit older, I'll probably cook them one way or another.
Another week or two and I should have some capsicums, tomatoes and maybe some eggplants. I don't know what sort of tomatoes to expect - it's just a seedling I found growing in the garden when I was doing some weeding a few weeks ago.... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 20th, 2014 at 12:53pm
My tomatoes have been and gone, peppers will be a while yet—heat wave set just about every vege back :(
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Jan 20th, 2014 at 1:00pm St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 20th, 2014 at 12:53pm:
The heat killed off all my beetroot (they had just germinated the week before) and I lost a few carrots, but the rest survived, although I had to use two of the lettuce a bit earlier than I had planned, as they were going to go to seed. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by FriYAY on Jan 20th, 2014 at 2:21pm
Mum (lives by her-self) had chard plants for just over 10 years.
She’d just keep picking the outside leaves and they just kept growing and growing. 8-) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 20th, 2014 at 6:16pm
Down here the heat does cause them to bolt.
But I just keep pulling leaves off and feeding them to the chooks. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Jan 20th, 2014 at 6:57pm St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 7th, 2014 at 7:04pm:
You sound like my husband, George. He loves his smoker and also makes all kinds of pickles and jams - tomato jam is my favourite. He makes a lovely pate too. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 20th, 2014 at 7:32pm
Yeah! Tomato and basil, unreal on cream cheese!
Hubby’s smoker a hot smoker like my offset smoker or a cold smoker? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Jan 20th, 2014 at 8:49pm Frances wrote on Jan 20th, 2014 at 12:51pm:
Which is exactly what I did. I sliced the chard leaves up into 1cm strips and chopped the stems up as well and added some of those small different coloured tomatoes that they sell in punnets in the supermarkets and dressed it with olive oil, salt and lemon juice. A very colourful and tasty salad. The other vegetables I used in my dinner were brown onions. I fried some chopped onions in a mix of olive and sunflower oils and added some breadcrumbs and anchovies and a bit of dried chilli, and mixed it up with some spaghetti. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 21st, 2014 at 11:31am
Anchovies are the one true path to great salads/soups/pizzas and the like.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by White Dove on Jan 21st, 2014 at 2:31pm
anchovies, yum!
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by White Dove on Jan 21st, 2014 at 2:32pm
.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Jaqs on Jan 21st, 2014 at 2:42pm
My vege for the week is Courgettes! Seems they are taking over my vege garden and I'm giving them away and eating heaps and they just keep coming! Next year I will only put in ONE plant! lol
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 21st, 2014 at 7:56pm
Try pickling them!
A good zucchini pickle is to die for! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Jan 24th, 2014 at 9:39pm St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 20th, 2014 at 7:32pm:
It's a hot smoker. Anchovies are yum - my favourite pizza is a Margarita with anchovies, jalapenos and pineapple. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 25th, 2014 at 10:00am
Feral boar ribs cooked on a hot smoker are out of this world!
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Jan 31st, 2014 at 3:53pm
Bought a pomelo today, from Central Market.
Nice and heavy (=lovely and juicy) and smells divine. So a mostly–tropical fruitsalad tonight: pomelo, mango, papaya, dragonfruit, lychees, pineapple plus blueberries, raspberries, passionfruit and some strawberry freezer jam. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Jan 31st, 2014 at 11:26pm
I used some celeriac for the first time a few days ago and quite liked it. I used it raw by shredding it (using a mandolin, not a grater) and made a dressing with mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice herbs and pepper. I'll be doing it again some time.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Feb 1st, 2014 at 1:31am
Celeriac is wonderful!
Boil and mash it like potato Grate it into soups to thicken the soups. Use the stems like celery Another vege of the week, and one I will be planting this fall: salsify. I know nothing about it except it is a root crop going way back, look forward to cooking that. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by PZ547 on Feb 1st, 2014 at 8:43pm
My vegetable of the week, every week since birth
is and probably always will be, potatoes |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by greggerypeccary on Feb 1st, 2014 at 8:46pm St George of the Garden wrote on Feb 1st, 2014 at 1:31am:
"fall" ? Are you planting it in California? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Feb 1st, 2014 at 10:20pm
Yanks speak English that is truer than we speak it.
Fall is the original English word for the season between summer and winter. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Cofgod on Feb 3rd, 2014 at 12:35am St George of the Garden wrote on Feb 1st, 2014 at 10:20pm:
American English is more old-fashioned than British English, although many people think it's the other way around. American English is actually more similar to the English that was spoken in Elizabethan England. It is thought, though not known for certain, that the American and Canadian word "fall", meaning "autumn", come from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) verb "fiæll" or "feallan", meaning "to fall from a great height". During the 17th century, British emigration to the British colonies in North America was at its peak (they were originally Britain's penal colonies, until the US rather unfortunately gained her independence from Britain in 1776, leading to Britain turning to Australia instead to send her convicts), and the new settlers took the English language with them. While the term fall gradually became obsolete in Britain, it became the more common term in North America. The word autumn comes from the Old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was, of course, brought to England and introduced to the English language by the Normans. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Cofgod on Feb 3rd, 2014 at 12:43am St George of the Garden wrote on Jan 21st, 2014 at 7:56pm:
Zucchini is another example. The Yanks call it "zucchini" but the British call it "courgette". George Bernard Shaw didn't get it quite right when he said "England and America are two countries separated by a common language." Because it also sometimes seems that we don't even have a common language. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Feb 3rd, 2014 at 3:07pm
A very erudite post Cofgod.
Many people have told me ‘autumn’ is a latin word. I thought it was french and am right, sort of :) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 11th, 2014 at 4:48pm
Eggplants (or aubergines if you like)
I just went outside and cut one off the plant. Lovely taut purple skin and near perfect inside. I cut it in half and stuffed it with the chopped eggplant flesh (I left about 1cm thickness all round) mixed with black olives, capers, anchovies, breadcrumbs and some red capsicums (from a jar in oil - not fresh ones) and sprinkled olive oil over the top. The jar of olives was impossible to open - I ended up forcing a screwdriver through the lid to break the seal - fortunately I finished the jar of capsicums and the lid was the same size... The rest of the meal is marinated eye fillet steak (pan fried) and a rocket salad, dressed in olive oil and lemon juice. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by John Smith on Feb 11th, 2014 at 11:42pm Frances wrote on Feb 11th, 2014 at 4:48pm:
Mum makes something similar, but she mixes boiled and strained (squeeze any excess water out of it with tea towel) eggplant flesh with pork mince, seasons and then makes little patties about the same size and shape as the eggplant skin ... fries it gently just to brown the mince a little, then once it cools puts it back into the eggplant skin, puts it into a big deep tray throws a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes over the top, sprinkle olive oil on top, cover with foil then put the whole thing in the oven on a low heat until the tomatoe reduces remove foil for the fianl 10 minutes to get colour to die for. Sounds difficult but it's not really ... well worth the effort. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Feb 12th, 2014 at 7:16am
I like eggplant parmigianna.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut a couple egg plants into cm thick slices. Pour a thin layer passata to just cover bottom of roasting pan. Lay one layer of eggplant slices on top. Pour a bit more passata over, sprinkle some cheese on top. Continue until you have 3-4 layers of eggplant. Pour a last layer of passata over, sprinkle thickly with cheese and bake in oven until cheese is all melted and bubbly. Can sprinkle some herbs too, of course. Preserves I made last summer. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Feb 12th, 2014 at 9:09pm Frances wrote on Feb 11th, 2014 at 4:48pm:
Frances, get yourself a jar opener. It's one of these essential things to have in the kitchen, along with herb scissors. Any kitchen shop should have one. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 18th, 2014 at 7:06am St George of the Garden wrote on Feb 12th, 2014 at 7:16am:
Which is what I made yesterday. I put the eggplant slices on a skillet grill without any oil until they were sort of half done and then alternated layers of tomato and eggplant. Rather than use plain passata I fried a chopped onion with garlic and oregano, emptied in a couple of tins of chopped tomatoes, simmered for about 20 minutes and then added some fresh basil and white wine vinegar. I sprinkled a bit of grated parmesan cheese on each layer of sauce and parmesan and breadcrumbs on top. Then into the oven for about half an hour. I was going to put some mozzarella on top as well, but there wasn't any in the fridge.... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Jaqs on Feb 18th, 2014 at 7:35am
I'm picking these capscicum from my garden daily.
Capsicum.jpg (15 KB | 83
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Feb 18th, 2014 at 6:14pm
There was some parmigianna left over (I did make enough for two meals anyway, so I was expecting that) which we'll have at room temperature (just as good as when it's hot). There's going to be a rocket salad (haven't dressed it yet), and I'm roasting some potatoes (they're almost ready). I'm also going to panfry a small porterhouse steak, cut it into strips lay the strips on a bed of rocket and make a red wine sauce to drizzle over it.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Feb 18th, 2014 at 10:45pm
I can’t see the point of rocket but apart from that everything sounds yum!
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 3rd, 2014 at 5:49pm
I just went out into the garden to pick some radicchio and some tomatoes for tonight's salad. Can't remember the name of the variety, but it's a green one with flecks of reddish brown, not the red and white one you see in the shops. And the rest of the meal? I steamed some broccolini, made a focaccia (using a pizza base) and made some chicken rissoles.
And I made some coconut macaroons too..... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 3rd, 2014 at 10:05pm
Lettuce freckles?
Was going to make speculaas biscuits and a seedloaf but when I came home from the shops I had a nap instead :) |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 5th, 2014 at 7:09pm
I was tidying up the vegetable garden this afternoon and one of the things I did was cut back the basil because it was getting out of control. It seemed a waste to put it all in the green bin, so I took it inside and made some pesto.
So tonight's dinner was pasta (oricchiete) with pesto, a radicchio salad (there's only two plants left now) and some grilled tomatoes (they were a bit too soft to use in a salad). |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 7th, 2014 at 1:43pm
If you have a desiccator than pick and dry a fair bit if basil. If you don’t have a desiccator cut a heap of stems, put them upside down in a paper bag and hang that where there is some draught. The dried basil will remain nice and pungent until next summers crop is harvestable again.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by mantra on Mar 7th, 2014 at 7:39pm
Getting bored over on PA SN? Who's the picture meant to represent?
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Super Nova on Mar 7th, 2014 at 7:48pm mantra wrote on Mar 7th, 2014 at 7:39pm:
I look in here everyday. I spend nearly as much time here as reading PA. I just thought I would post here my vegetable of the week. They are not meant to represent anyone here. Why do you ask? Do you see something in the images that is familiar with people here? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by mantra on Mar 7th, 2014 at 8:03pm Super Nova wrote on Mar 7th, 2014 at 7:48pm:
The wording in your first post is a little misleading and you didn't post a picture of a vegetable, but a parody of a person. I know that you're too nice to be malicious so as it doesn't look like a vegetable - I was curious as to what the picture represents. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 7th, 2014 at 8:31pm
Too nice to be malicious? Pigs arse!
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 8th, 2014 at 8:39am Frances wrote on Mar 5th, 2014 at 7:09pm:
The good thing about Basil is that you never run out of seeds. I just sowed some, along with some Siberian tomatoes for winter. THis is my first attempt at winter tomatoes, so it will be interesting to see how they go. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 9th, 2014 at 2:47pm
Got plenty of these:
Anyone have a great recipe for these? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by viewpoint on Mar 9th, 2014 at 2:55pm St George of the Garden wrote on Mar 7th, 2014 at 8:31pm:
You leave Mr Rudd out of it! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 10th, 2014 at 5:05pm
Picked a 620g black beauty of an eggplant just now. Parmigianna with plenty basil and, following Frances’ example, fried thin slices shallots.
Going to make something like this. tho I have ham but not prosciutto. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 11th, 2014 at 1:20am
That's a beautiful eggplant George...!
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 11th, 2014 at 1:27am
Any new posters to The Tavern should take the time to read the rules...harrassment and malicious posts will not be tolerated here.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 15th, 2014 at 9:48am The Mole wrote on Mar 11th, 2014 at 1:20am:
It's not very big though, but I guess it comes down to how you use it. Ahem. Vegetarian moussaka. That's how I would use it. +++++++++++++ Serves: 7 1 large eggplant, thinly sliced 1-2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large zucchini, thinly sliced 2 potatoes, thinly sliced 1 onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 tin (440g) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped 220g lentils, (about 1/2 tin) drained, juice reserved 1 teaspoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley salt and pepper to taste 125g crumbled feta cheese Sauce ==== 30g butter 2 tablespoons plain flour 1 1/4 cups (315ml) milk black pepper to taste 1 pinch ground nutmeg 1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup (30g) grated Parmesan cheese Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Heat oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Lightly brown eggplant and zucchini slices on both sides; drain. Add more oil if necessary, brown potato slices; drain. Saute onion and garlic until lightly browned. Pour in vinegar and reduce. Stir in tomatoes, lentils, 1/2 the juice from lentils, oregano and parsley. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes. In a 23x33cm casserole dish layer the eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, onions and feta. Pour tomato mixture over vegetables; repeat layering, finishing with a layer of eggplant and zucchini. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine butter, flour and milk. Bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly until thick and smooth. Season with pepper and add nutmeg. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes, and stir in beaten egg. Pour sauce over vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for another 25 to 30 minutes. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 15th, 2014 at 10:14am muso wrote on Mar 15th, 2014 at 9:48am:
Love Moussaka Muso..I saw on a cooking program last night where the aubergine was dipped in flour and egg and then deep fried before assembling with other ingredients...I imagine that gave it that extra flavour...I am going to do that one tonight..see how it goes. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 15th, 2014 at 11:00am
A MEAT moussaka sounds nice, one or two of those will be on the menu in the coming few months. Heh—now I have my mincer I don’t even need mincemeat to make it!
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 15th, 2014 at 11:40am St George of the Garden wrote on Mar 15th, 2014 at 11:00am:
You can make it very flavourful without meat George...try to be more healthy, meat is bad for you and causes colon cancers etc...because humans are not really meant to eat meat...I am not a vegetarian..I eat chicken and fish but pork or red meat I stay away from. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by John Smith on Mar 15th, 2014 at 6:01pm The Mole wrote on Mar 15th, 2014 at 11:40am:
really? I suppose those canines are there for decoration? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 15th, 2014 at 6:58pm
Humans are omniverous. Primitive man ate meat from time to time. More often, it ate him.
I think we're still adapted to our early hunter gatherer type existence, but nowadays some of us OD on meat. A hunter gatherer would have been quite often anemic due to blood loss from numerous injuries from hunting and inter-tribal war. It didn't do them much good though, because they had an average life expectancy of 35-40. Nowadays, we don't have those problems, but we still eat a lot of iron rich meat. Too much iron in the blood causes a build-up of free radicals, which can initiate cancer. A survey of nonagenarians showed that an enormous proportion of them were slightly anemic. It seems to be one of the factors that helps humans to survive to that age. As for myself, I eat vegetables, egg cheese and all seafood (but no meat), but I don't see the problem with (other people) eating meat in moderation. Diet is a personal thing, and one diet doesn't fit all. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 15th, 2014 at 7:03pm muso wrote on Mar 15th, 2014 at 6:58pm:
Well said Muso... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 15th, 2014 at 8:47pm
Yeah, I have cut down on meat—we did used to eat too much.
I don’t think vegetarianism is good either tho. I eat 2-3 vegetarian meals a week, Friday we might have ham, oysters etc so not major meat meal. But I love meat! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by miketrees on Mar 15th, 2014 at 9:49pm
I had never grown sweet potato before, today I noticed the dog had been digging in my garden to reveal huge tubers the size of footballs.
The orange ones, I hope they are still ok to eat when they are that big, theres bloody heaps of them. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 16th, 2014 at 8:47am
Sounds awesome. I had taro plants as ornamentals. When I decided to get rid of them, they had huge taro tubers under the ground. They tasted fine.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 17th, 2014 at 5:40pm Dsmithy70 wrote on Oct 5th, 2011 at 11:25am:
Adore asparagus!!! One of my favorites... :P I eat it uncooked as well as long as its tender. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by greggerypeccary on Mar 17th, 2014 at 6:05pm St George of the Garden wrote on Mar 15th, 2014 at 8:47pm:
Only 2 or 3 a week? Are you just talking about evening meals, or all meals? Out of 21 meals a week, you have meat in 18 of them? That is a lot of meat. :o (PS: I'm pretty sure ham is 'major meat'). |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by greggerypeccary on Mar 17th, 2014 at 6:08pm John Smith wrote on Mar 15th, 2014 at 6:01pm:
http://freefromharm.org/photo-galleries/9-reasons-your-canine-teeth-dont-make-you-a-meat-eater/ |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 17th, 2014 at 6:13pm greggerypeccary wrote on Mar 17th, 2014 at 6:08pm:
well you win then..? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 17th, 2014 at 7:32pm greggerypeccary wrote on Mar 17th, 2014 at 6:05pm:
I was talking about dinner. Breakfast and lunch are usually meatless—toast with grilled cheese and marmalade (NOT on same piece toast :) ) or oatmeal in morning etc. Bit of ham, maybe salami on friday evening, quite a small amount compared to a steak, etc. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 18th, 2014 at 6:33am
Rhubarb. We use it like a fruit, but is it really a vegetable? Sort of like the reverse of the tomato which is really a fruit but generally used as a vegetable.....
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Mar 18th, 2014 at 9:50am
Cheese and marmalade are great on the same piece of toast, George. Give it a go.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 18th, 2014 at 2:06pm
Any particular variety of cheese?
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 18th, 2014 at 3:07pm Frances wrote on Mar 18th, 2014 at 6:33am:
I have made tomato and vanilla jam and tomato and basil jam but they aren’t the best. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Mar 18th, 2014 at 3:36pm Frances wrote on Mar 18th, 2014 at 2:06pm:
A good vintage cheddar with bite if on toast with marmalade. My favourite cheeses are brie and gorgonzola but they would either be overpowered by or annihilate a good tasting marmalade, I'm thinking. Will have to try it and see. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 18th, 2014 at 5:45pm
It's the salt and sweet combination. It seems to be making a comeback. I've always loved toast with crunchy peanut butter and strawberry jam.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Frances on Mar 18th, 2014 at 8:53pm St George of the Garden wrote on Mar 18th, 2014 at 3:07pm:
I was stewing some rhubarb slowly once (just rhubarb and sugar and a touch of ginger) and I left it on the hotplate for far too long and ended up making rhubarb jam instead. It was really nice on toast the next morning..... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by miketrees on Mar 18th, 2014 at 10:26pm
I cooked and ate a bunch of rocket tonight, am I going to die?
I know you are meant to eat rocket is a salad but I had so much of it and its taking over the garden so I predated it. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 19th, 2014 at 4:22pm miketrees wrote on Mar 18th, 2014 at 10:26pm:
I'm afraid so. I don't know when, but we are all mortal. ;D |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 19th, 2014 at 5:15pm miketrees wrote on Mar 18th, 2014 at 10:26pm:
I took a chance and ate wild rocket a couple of weeks back, delicious and didn't kill me...I thought it was a weed but no, actual rocket...I steamed it .... |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 20th, 2014 at 11:45am
Hmmm cut a thin slice of an ashed brie, put that on toast and covered that with marmalade. Didn’t really notice the cheese. Will try with a bity cheddar.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 21st, 2014 at 2:00pm
OK, got some nice bity Ashbourne black cloth cheddar, will try the cheese and marmalade thing again soon.
Just to keep Muso off my back ;D I bought some fetta cheese, will try his vegetarian moussaka Sunday. Was going to grill some garfish tomorrow—wow, way dear! Bought some deep sea cod instead, probably deepfry that in batter (and not eat the batter.) They did have a pack frozen gar fillets, 1Kg $10 but who wants frozen fish? Break my teeth on it! |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Annie Anthrax on Mar 21st, 2014 at 2:11pm
Brie and pate on toast is another good mix. You just have to let the toast cool a bit first or the brie just melts away.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by miketrees on Mar 21st, 2014 at 7:27pm
Ok I know a mango is a fruit not a vegetable but i have to brag about my crop.
Usually here anything that remotely looks like a fruit gets eaten by the birds just after the fruit fly have infested it to death. However a week ago or so the wind knocked a green mango off my tree. I took the fruit inside and much to my surprise it still ripened up and had reasonable flavour. So I left the rest of the crop on for another week or so then picked the lot of them, they are fantastic and full flavour. I got them off the tree before the fruit fly stung them, cant do that with any other fruit around here, they get stung at half size. Now I am going to plant a couple of other varieties of mango, I liked the Bangalore Mango when I lived in Carnarvon. I live in the Perth Hills east of Perth, I can crop cherries and mangoes on the one place which has to be a bit unusual. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by miketrees on Mar 21st, 2014 at 7:28pm
I love talking about growing stuff its like porn to me.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by greggerypeccary on Mar 21st, 2014 at 8:43pm The Mole wrote on Mar 19th, 2014 at 5:15pm:
Steamed? I've never heard of rocket being cooked before. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by miketrees on Mar 21st, 2014 at 10:17pm
Me neither Pecker, but its so close to mustard and I have seen people eating mustard florets.
So I gave it a go, its quite strong but I quite liked it. I liked it better cooked than raw I thought it was a bit like Kale which is strong as well. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 22nd, 2014 at 11:49am
Mangoes, eh? I have a banana tree near my house (for frost protection) and picked my first lot of bananas last week.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 22nd, 2014 at 2:07pm greggerypeccary wrote on Mar 21st, 2014 at 8:43pm:
Yes GP, wild rocket has a very strong smell...and I just steamed it, I don't know why, and put a tiny piece of butter and ate it like that, very decent tasting as well...I know its a salad veg but the some make lettuce soup etc so... I wont dispose the wild rocket weed again now I know. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by WDKYMYS on Mar 22nd, 2014 at 2:09pm miketrees wrote on Mar 21st, 2014 at 10:17pm:
Might try it just as is next time Mike..next time you could try steamimg it |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by 0ktema on Mar 22nd, 2014 at 6:17pm
The Spaghetti Squash is an interesting one ... even if a bit bland to taste!
Quote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_squash .................................. I wouldn't be surprised if it is in fact used in some form of Pastafarian sacrament ... ;) More info can be found about Pastafarianism or the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster at the following wiki page ... ;D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 23rd, 2014 at 7:17pm
Had tried spaghetti squash some time ago, so grew it again last year. Wasn’t impressed.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by muso on Mar 23rd, 2014 at 10:03pm
Vegetable of the week - Green (unripe) Papaya. Remove the skin and grate it to make a thai salad. Add chopped thai basil, fish sauce, chopped chilli and some palm sugar plus a squeeze of lime.
Another fruit that you can use as a vegetable. I got that tip from a Matt Golinski demonstration the other night at a charity dinner. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 24th, 2014 at 2:53pm
Uh oh:
Quote:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-24/strong-el-nino/5340708 |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by miketrees on Mar 24th, 2014 at 9:19pm
Well GeorgeHenry
how can I link in your post with this thread/ I know Plant breeders have been onto the global warming for years now. Most stonefruit breeders have been going to the tropics to get wild varieties of fruit that have a very low chill requirements Then they cross them with traditional varieties to get lower chill commercial varieties that will crop with warmer winters. |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by GeorgeH on Mar 26th, 2014 at 9:20am
A weird time for an El Nino to develop!
Here in SA we should get a bit more than average rainfall. OK just went out and picked two lovely eggplants—try that vege moussaka tonight. This weekend—going to (try) making sausages: pork, pancetta and rosemary? Pork, fennel, rosemary and mushroom? |
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by Sir George of the Mash Tun on Mar 26th, 2014 at 8:18pm
Vege Moussaka tastes OK.
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Title: Re: Vegetable of the week thread Post by St George of the Holy Copper on Apr 23rd, 2014 at 9:49pm
Will be planting salsify tomorrow.
Took my chicken coop apart, sanded down, cleaned, stained the outside, sealed the inside wood with linseed oil. Will start reassembling that tomorrow, look for some POL hens next week. Ahh, free weeding, fresh eggs, can‘t beat it! |
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