Garden2kitchen recipes

I was in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland last

weekend for the Queensland Home Garden Show with

Phil Dudman Garden Guru.

We shared our love of growing, picking and cooking quick and

simple family meals

Phil gave me the challenge of cooking with seasonal produce such

as leeks, potatoes, peas, rosemary, radishes, rocket and beetroot.

Here are those recipes.

I also did a workshop where I showed how to preserve lemons

and make a quick Moroccan Chicken dish.

Let me know how your recipes turn out.

Happy cooking

Juls 

Mashed potatoes are a much-loved comfort food and go well with fish, meat or chicken. The best mash potato is made from floury, dry varieties of potatoes like Desiree, King Edward, Spunta, Pink Eye and Sebago.

Pan Fried Fish with Braised Leeks, Pea and Potato Mash

Serves 4

Pea and potato mash

1 kilo Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 cup shelled peas

75g butter, softened

150ml milk

1 tablespoon horseradish cream

Salt and pepper

Braised leeks

20g butter

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

4 baby leeks, washed and trimmed

3/4 cup chicken stock

Pan fried fish

4 large slices prosciutto

4 x 150g Blue Eye Trevalla fillets, skin off and bones removed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Roasted baby tomatoes, to serve

Simmer the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes. Add the peas to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and mash until smooth and blitz the peas with a hand held blender until smooth. Add 3/4 of the butter and milk to the mashed potatoes and the rest to the peas. Season both and mash and whizz again. Mix them together gently with the horseradish and season well.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and oil in a medium shallow frying pan and add the leeks and stock. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until the leeks are tender and the liquid has reduced.

Wrap a piece of prosciutto around the centre of each fish. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat, add the fish and cook for 3-4 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of the fish, or until cooked.

To serve, place the mash on to a plate top with the fish and braised leeks and serve with roasted baby tomatoes.

Barbecued Rosemary Lamb kebabs with a Radish Tzatziki and Beetroot, Feta and Rocket salad

Serves 4

4 long rosemary branches, leaves removed leaving some at top

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sumac, plus extra to dust

1 tablespoon lemon juice

500g lamb fillet, cut into 2cm cubes

Salad

2 large beetroot or 4 baby beetroot, washed

200g Greek feta, crumbled

1 bunch rocket leaves, washed and dried

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Radish Tzatziki

4-6 radishes, depending on size, trimmed

1 Lebanese cucumber

200g Greek plain yoghurt

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped

Soak the rosemary branches in cold water for 30 minutes to avoid burning.

In a medium sized ceramic or glass dish combine garlic, oil, sumac, lemon juice and season well. Add the diced lamb and toss well to coat. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Meanwhile, trim the beetroot stems and place into a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to medium and simmer for 40 minutes or until beetroots are tender but still a little crunchy. Leave to cool.

Wearing plastic gloves peel the beetroot by rubbing off the skin gently. Cut into wedges and set aside. Combine olive oil, vinegar, sugar and mustard in a screw top jar and season well.

Combine the beetroot, feta and rocket in a medium bowl and toss with the red wine vinegar dressing prior to serving.

Coarsely grate the radishes and cucumber and place into a sieve to squeeze out excess moisture. In a medium bowl combine the yoghurt, garlic, mint, radish and cucumber and season well. Set aside.

Heat a char-grill on a high heat. Thread the lamb evenly amongst the branches.

Cook the lamb on the char-grill for 6-8 minutes turning occasionally or until cooked. Serve the lamb with radish tzatziki and salad.

PRESERVED LEMONS

6 lemons, washed

15og coarse salt

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

lemon juice, extra

Place a tablespoon of salt into a large sterilised jar.

Cut lemons into quarters and place into a large bowl. Add the remaining salt and combine well.

Pack the lemons into the jar and add the spices between layers. Press down on the lemons to release any juices. The lemons should be fully covered with juice, if not add extra lemon juice.

Seal jar and allow lemons to mature for at least a month before using.

Store in a cool place for up to 12 months.

Quick Moroccan Chicken Casserole

Serves 4

1kg chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, cut into bite sized pieces

2 tablespoons chermoula or Moroccan spice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 brown onion, sliced

400g can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 preserved lemon, flesh removes and sliced

100g slivered almonds, toasted

1/2 cup green olives

1 tablespoon tahini

1/2 cup Greek yoghurt

Place chicken into a large ceramic or glass bowl and coat with chermoula spice. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a large heavy-metal pan, heat olive oil and cook onion on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until softened.

Increase heat to high and add the chicken in batches and cook until golden. Add tomatoes, stock, lemon, almonds and olives, stir well. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Combine tahini and yogurt in a small bowl. Serve chicken casserole with cous cous topped with tahini yoghurt.