Using those potatoes and caulies!

We get asked for more ideas about warming recipes using the FIG produce, so here is a selection from a previous post with some great recipes from some Figgie members, just right for this time of the year!

1) Potato and leek soup

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500g potatoes, peeled, chopped
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 1/3 cup sour cream (optional; if not used, increase the stock)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion has softened. Add potato. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. 
2. Add stock. Season with pepper. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. 
3. Blend, in batches, until smooth. Serve.

2) Creamy cauliflower and potato soup with bacon

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 250g bacon, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 leeks, halved, washed, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cauliflower, trimmed, cut into small florets
• 500g Sebago or Desiree potatoes, peeled, diced
• 6 cups reduced-salt chicken stock
• 1/4 cup light thickened cream
• Toasted sourdough bread, to serve

Method

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bacon. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel. 
2. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, garlic and leek to pan. Cook, stirring often, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, potato and stock. Partially cover. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in half the bacon. 
3. Blend soup, in batches, until smooth. Return to saucepan over low heat. Stir in cream. Heat, without boiling, until hot. Ladle into bowls. Top with remaining bacon. Sprinkle with pepper. Serve with toast

3) Potato Frittata

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 8 eggs
• 50ml milk
• 200g mild cheddar, grated
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 500g potatoes, peeled, cooked, sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Beat eggs and milk in a large bowl. Add cheese and season. 
2. Heat half the oil in an ovenproof frypan over low heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 5-6 minutes until soft. Remove and add to the egg mixture with the potato. 
3. Wipe pan clean, then return to low heat with remaining oil. Pour in frittata mixture and using a palette knife, gently pull away from sides of the pan, allowing uncooked egg to run to edges. Once cooked around the outside (about 2-3 minutes), transfer pan to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until set. Turn out and cool.

4) Almond Crusted Fish with Potato and Leek

Cooking Time 30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 large (about 350g) desiree potatoes, washed, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, pale section only, washed, thinly sliced
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 80ml (1/3 cup) olive oil
• 2 tbs pre-grated parmesan
• 1 x 100g pkt almond meal
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 4 (about 500g) white fish fillets (such as smooth dory), cut in half lengthways
• 1/3 cup loosely packed chopped fresh continental parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Arrange potato over a 17 x 24cm (base measurement) baking tray. Top with leek and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tbs of the olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake on the top shelf of preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the potato is tender and golden. 
2. Meanwhile, place almond meal and egg in separate bowls. Dip 1 piece of fish in the egg, then the almond meal, pressing firmly to coat. Repeat with remaining pieces of fish. 
3. Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook fish for 2 minutes each side or until cooked through. 
4. Divide almond-crusted fish and potato and leek among serving plates. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately

5) Potato and Leek Quiches

Preparation Time 20 minutes

Cooking Time 25 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 400g  potato, peeled, cut into 2.5cm chunks
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 leek, washed, sliced
• 2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
• 4 sheets filo pastry
• Olive oil spray
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (250ml) milk of your choice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• Salt & freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Steam the sweet potato until just tender. Transfer to a bowl. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring until soft. Add to the sweet potato with the parsley and toss to combine. 
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 6 x 1 cup muffin pans. Spray a sheet of filo with the oil. Top with the remaining sheets, spraying with oil between each layer. Cut the sheets into 3 portions crossways, then cut each strip in half. Line each muffin pan with the filo. 
3. Divide the sweet potato mixture among the pastry cases. 
4. Whisk the eggs, milk and nutmeg together. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the filling. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just set.

Notes: You can make this without the pastry......I've tried it and it's quite nice...particularly if you're gluten intolerant or don't like pastry very much. Just make sure that the trays or cooking dish is well oiled with either butter or olive oil :)

6) Apple and Oat Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup raisins
2 egg whites
¼ cup honey
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 apple, grated

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2) Mix buttermilk, oats, and raisins together in a large bowl. Add egg whites and honey; blend thoroughly.

3) In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add to oat mixture; mix to incorporate. Fold in grated apple.

4) Fill mixture in muffin tins ¾ full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in tins 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.

They all seem yum to us!

A produce update

Hello, on this beautiful sunny Autumn day.

Today is the last day for a few weeks that we'll be having produce from Peter of Cooranbong. He has his next lot of crops in and they won't be ready for a while. That means his lovely corn, potatoes, cucumbers and heirloom pumpkins are finished. :(

However, as one door closes, another opens, as we have Bill's butternut pumpkins coming in from today, as well as his superb eggplant and some tomatoes. We are also getting in tomatoes from Glen and Peter, plus figs, herbs, persimmons and some trial melons. The cauliflower, broccoli, leeks and cabbage today is from Kurrawong Organics. We have those lovely apple cucumbers coming in from them as well, to join with cucumbers from Peter, "blonde cucumbers" from Rob, and our new local supplier, Virginia. We Figgies like our cucumbers! Great for munching and juicing or even making delicate cucumber sandwiches if you wish, they are a very alkaline forming food. (AKA, good for our health.)

The watermelon is from Pat, who is in conversion to being organically certified. Hooray for another organic farmer! Ed is supplying some zucchini, and Michael has lots of wonderful greens. Just don't ask him about lettuce! The last lot were weather affected and he planted more, telling us very enthusiastically that the next lot were nearly ready - just to have them wiped out in the rain and storms this week. Farming sure is a gamble. Luckily he has other produce in the ground as well, and that is arriving at the co-op today. Jean's basil continues, and we never knew how much bees loved basil until we grew some of our own and observed the mass of activity each year, perennial basil in particular.

We have local limes today in small quantities, also some lemons, and the valencia oranges are still available. Russian garlic from Bailey's farm up the coast is in today. They tell us they have been planting next year's crop and estimated they'd put in 8.5 kilometres of garlic. That's a lot! They're also diversifying into other crops as well; what started as a part time venture is moving into bigger production. Hooray there as well.

In this year, the UN International Year of  Family Farming, we need to encourage them as much as we can, more than ever.

See you at the co-op...

Some recipes for FIG produce

Thanks to some great Figgie members, we have some recipes they have shared with us for using various FIG produce.

First up, from Sara:


1) Potato and leek soup

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500g sebago potatoes, peeled, chopped
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion has softened. Add potato. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. 
2. Add stock. Season with pepper. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. 
3. Blend, in batches, until smooth. Serve.

2) Creamy cauliflower and potato soup with bacon

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 250g 97% fat-free bacon, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 leeks, halved, washed, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cauliflower, trimmed, cut into small florets
• 500g Sebago or Desiree potatoes, peeled, diced
• 6 cups reduced-salt chicken stock
• 1/4 cup light thickened cream
• Toasted wholegrain bread, to serve

Method

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bacon. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel. 
2. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, garlic and leek to pan. Cook, stirring often, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add cauliflower, potato and stock. Partially cover. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in half the bacon. 
3. Blend soup, in batches, until smooth. Return to saucepan over low heat. Stir in cream. Heat, without boiling, until hot. Ladle into bowls. Top with remaining bacon. Sprinkle with pepper. Serve with toast

3) Potato Frittata

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 8 eggs
• 50ml milk
• 200g mild cheddar, grated
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 500g potatoes, peeled, cooked, sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Beat eggs and milk in a large bowl. Add cheese and season. 
2. Heat half the oil in an ovenproof frypan over low heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 5-6 minutes until soft. Remove and add to the egg mixture with the potato. 
3. Wipe pan clean, then return to low heat with remaining oil. Pour in frittata mixture and using a palette knife, gently pull away from sides of the pan, allowing uncooked egg to run to edges. Once cooked around the outside (about 2-3 minutes), transfer pan to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until set. Turn out and cool.

4) Almond Crusted Fish with Potato and Leek

Cooking Time 30 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 large (about 350g) desiree potatoes, washed, thinly sliced
• 1 leek, pale section only, washed, thinly sliced
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 80ml (1/3 cup) olive oil
• 2 tbs pre-grated parmesan
• 1 x 100g pkt almond meal
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 4 (about 500g) white fish fillets (such as smooth dory), cut in half lengthways
• 1/3 cup loosely packed chopped fresh continental parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C. Arrange potato over a 17 x 24cm (base measurement) baking tray. Top with leek and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tbs of the olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake on the top shelf of preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the potato is tender and golden. 
2. Meanwhile, place almond meal and egg in separate bowls. Dip 1 piece of fish in the egg, then the almond meal, pressing firmly to coat. Repeat with remaining pieces of fish. 
3. Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook fish for 2 minutes each side or until cooked through. 
4. Divide almond-crusted fish and potato and leek among serving plates. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately

5) Potato and Leek Quiches

Preparation Time 20 minutes

Cooking Time 25 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 400g  potato, peeled, cut into 2.5cm chunks
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 leek, washed, sliced
• 2 tbs chopped fresh continental parsley
• 4 sheets filo pastry
• Olive oil spray
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (250ml) skim milk
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• Salt & freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Steam the sweet potato until just tender. Transfer to a bowl. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring until soft. Add to the sweet potato with the parsley and toss to combine. 
2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 6 x 1 cup muffin pans. Spray a sheet of filo with the oil. Top with the remaining sheets, spraying with oil between each layer. Cut the sheets into 3 portions crossways, then cut each strip in half. Line each muffin pan with the filo. 
3. Divide the sweet potato mixture among the pastry cases. 
4. Whisk the eggs, milk and nutmeg together. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the filling. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just set.

Notes: You can make this without the pastry......I've tried it and it's quite nice...particularly if you're gluten intolerant or don't like pastry very much. Just make sure that the trays or cooking dish is well oiled with either butter or olive oil :)

6) Apple and Oat Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup raisins
2 egg whites
¼ cup honey
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 apple, grated

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2) Mix buttermilk, oats, and raisins together in a large bowl. Add egg whites and honey; blend thoroughly.

3) In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add to oat mixture; mix to incorporate. Fold in grated apple.

4) Fill mixture in muffin tins ¾ full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in tins 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.

And from Gini:

BAKED FENNEL

Cook Fennel first (steam, boil) - don't overcook

Heat oven to 200 deg. = HOT

Put Fennel in ovenproof dish and add garlic, some cherry tomatoes and a handful of olives to taste. and for colour! 1 cup or more white wine, according to quantity of fennel.

Leave for 1/2 hour in oven

They all seem yum to us!