Coffs Coast Growers Markets

I have just returned from a great day at the Coffs Coast Growers Market. Phil Dudman and I ventured down the coast to spread the word about Growers Markets and the joy of cooking fresh produce direct from the growers. (Click on PHIL AND JULIE DO COFFS to hear ABC interview)

We met some amazing people with great stories, when I get the photos and I am not so weary from the 3 hour drive back tonight, I will share them with you. In the meantime, as promised to the people that came along and watched the garden2kitchen demo, here are the recipes from today. If you feel inspired to cook any of these recipes or have any questions, love to hear your comments.

We cooked with kale, Eastern School Whiting, goats meat, zucchini and beetroot, enjoy.

KALE BRUSHCETTA

Kale is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. It’s also a very good source of dietary fibre, copper, calcium, vitamin B6 and potassium.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red chilli, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 small bunches Tuscan Kale –stems removed from mature leaves, roughly chopped. If young leaves keep stems and roughly chop

1 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

6-8 slices sourdough bread

2 garlic cloves, halved, extra

100g goats cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the chilli, garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until onions have softened. Add the kale and cook for an additional 2 minutes, tossing frequently, until wilted.

Add 1/2 cup of water, toss again, cover the pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 8 to 9 minutes until kale is tender. Add the beans, season well with salt and pepper to taste, toss, raise heat to high and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until beans are warmed through and all the juices have evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bread on both sides on a char-grill until lightly toasted. Rub the bread with the halved garlic cloves. Spread the goats cheese evenly between the slices of bread and top with the kale mixture, drizzle some olive oil over and extra freshly ground pepper.

NB. You could add some pancetta to the dish, either cubed and fried with the onion, or slices which have been crisped in a pan or an oven, and put them on top of the kale.

Chargrilled Zucchini and Feta sticks with Roasted Beetroot Dip

2 zucchinis

200g Greek feta

1/4 cup sultanas, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, drained, chopped

1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tsp sumac

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

bamboo skewers, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes

Using a v-slicer or Japanese mandolin, slice zucchini lengthways into 2-3mm-thick slices. Place in a separate bowl.

Pat feta dry with paper towel and cut into 12 pieces. Combine sultanas and slivered almonds in a small bowl.

Combine cumin, sumac, garlic and oil in a separate bowl, and season with salt and pepper and add 2 to zucchini and toss to combine. Place a piece of feta on a strip of zucchini and top with sultana mixture. Roll up to enclose, then thread parcel on to a skewer. Repeat with remaining feta and sultana mixture in zucchini.

Heat a char-grill over medium-high heat and cook skewers, in batches, for 1 minute each side. Repeat with the zucchini skewers. Serve skewers with beetroot dip.

Roasted Beetroot Dip

1 bunch beetroot

1 head garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup Greek style yoghurt

2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped

1/4 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Trim beetroot, leaving 1cm stalks attached. Cut 5mm off the top of the head of garlic.

Place beetroot and garlic onto prepared baking tray and drizzle with oil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender when tested with a skewer. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool.

Gently peel and discard skin from beetroot. Squeeze garlic flesh from head.

Roughly chop beetroot. Place into a food processor with garlic flesh and process until smooth. Transfer to a glass bowl. Stir in yoghurt, dill, coriander and salt and pepper. Cover. Refrigerate for 3 hours to allow flavours to develop. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with dill.

Eastern School Whiting with Vietnamese Salad and Yamba Rice

½ cup plain flour
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
20 Eastern School Whiting fillets
Peanut oil, for shallow frying
Steamed Yanba rice, to serve

Vietnamese Salad
1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 long red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 small red onion, halved and sliced into thin slivers
Chess stir-fry mix (mixture of cabbage, carrot, celery cut into bite size pieces)
1 bunch green asparagus, chopped into 5cm pieces, blanched(if using small asparagus no need to blanch)
⅓ cup roughly chopped macadamias, toasted (see notes)
1 tablespoon finely shredded Vietnamese mint leaves
2 tablespoons shredded mint leaves
2 tablespoons macadamia oil

To make the Vietnamese Salad, combine rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, red chilli and pepper. Add the onion and leave to marinate.

Heat a wok on a high heat, add the combined stir fry mix and asparagus and cook for 1-2 minutes. remove from heat and place into a large bowl and add the onion dressing, mint and macadamias and set aside.

Place flour, salt and pepper in a large freezer bag, add the Whiting and shake well to coat.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add just enough oil to cover the base of the pan. Add fish pieces in a single layer (you may need to cook in batches), turn gently after 1 minute and cook for a further 30 seconds. Remove and drain on paper towel.

Finish the Vietnamese salad: add peanut oil, onions and their marinade to the vegetable mixture and gently toss to combine. Place salad on a platter, top with fish and serve with steamed rice.

Morroccan Goat Casserole with Pilaf

1 tablespoon Macadamia oil

1 tablespoon ghee

2 red onions, sliced

Spice Mixture

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground chilli

salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves, chopped

750g Boomaboers diced Goat meat

1kg tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped

pinch saffron

2 cinnamon sticks

500ml chicken stock

500g sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes

1 preserved lemon, flesh removed and cut into strips

3 tablespoons coriander, finely chopped

harissa paste, to taste

juice and zest of half lemon

1 tablespoons honey

Place the oil and ghee in a large saucepan or casserole pan and put it over a moderate-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion to the pan and cook for five minutes until softened. 

Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Place all the spice mixture ingredients in a bowl and mix together until combined. Toss the goat in the spices so that it is well coated. Add the spiced goat to the pan and seal the goat on all sides so that it is browned.

Stir in the tomatoes, saffron, cinnamon stick and enough stock to just cover the goat. Bring to the boil then reduce to a slow simmer. Leave the goat to cook for 1 hour, then add the sweet potato and preserved lemon and cook for another 30 minutes or until the meat is tender, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon (add more stock or water if the liquid is below the goat). If the stew is too watery, drain off the excess liquid into a saucepan and reduce until thickened. Then return to the stew.

To serve: Stir in 3 tablespoons of the chopped coriander, harissa paste (more or less to taste), lemon zest, juice and honey and top with yoghurt. See with Pilaf.

Pilaf – Middle East

Pilaf is found on tables throughout the entire Middle East. There are hundreds of varieties of pilaf’s from Syria to Greece – and they vary by culture, ingredients and the meat dish served with it.

1 1/2 cups basmati rice, washed

1 tablespoon macadamia oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 brown onion, finely diced

100gms angel hair pasta, cut into 4-5cm lengths

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

11/2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons olive oil, extra

1 tablespoon butter, extra

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped

100gms pecans finely chopped, toasted

In a medium sized saucepan heat the oil and butter over a medium heat and when the butter is frothy cook the onion and pasta in a medium heat for 5 minutes or until onion is softened and pasta is golden.

Add the ginger, cumin and turmeric to the onion and pasta and cook for 1 minute, add the rice, stir to coat the grains, add the stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until the rice is cooked.

Serve pilaf topped with parsley and pecans.