Gastronomy Gal

G.G. Garden Update- Bye bye Big Z

2012-02-28T17:22:00.001+10:00

In the last few weeks, the garden has been a little bit unruly. With all the rain, and a milder season, it's already time to pop in my autumn and winter plants. I have been dreading re-arranging things but today, I finally managed to spend the entire day getting things into shape. Being a primary producer/vegetable merchant isn't all tea and scones and tennis matches you know!!

As much as I've loved touting out the Zucchini Carpaccio and any other zucchini dishes I can create, it was time for that overbearing, mouldy, bossy boots to go. I feel a little bit bad labelling it as such, as it is rather prolific, but the leaves were starting to take over, and to be honest, I'm not sure how much more garden space I could spare for the big Z. I originally started out trying to cut back the manky undergrowth, but in my vigour, accidentally ended up slicing off the healthiest part- so once that happened, I reasoned that the only sensible course of action was to hack out the whole lot. Thankyou for the good times Z.

Next, the leftover lettuce that had mainly gone to seed and was fairly bitter also had to go. Once that was dumped into a pile, I replaced with two lovely little rows of neatly planted broccoli and cauliflower. I laughed at the tags that both say 'good for casseroles'. Perhaps I could get a job as the vegetable tag writer, because I'm damn sure I can come up with something a little bit more creative than the suggestion of 'casserole' which would hardly do justice to the gems I'm going to grow.

Kale is also something I've been looking forward to having on hand, especially when I saw these gorgeous kale chips on my friend Gemma's blog- Itty Bitty Kitty. I'm hoping the kale matures quickly so I can start making these delicious little babies.

I was growing some carrots in pots in my old house but I had to move before they were ready. I know it's super cheap to buy carrots, but they are so adorable and I'm easily intrigued- so I put some more into this garden along with some cousin parsnips.

I've also got some new snowpeas and beans planted too- just for some extra crunch. I replanted some of the heirloom capsicum and chilli varities and am making some home made fruit fly traps which will hopefully save them. I'm still not sure what is eating my eggplant but I wish it would stop. If it doesn't - I'm afraid the eggplant bush is going the same way as the Big Z.

Today- I did find a couple of snails that had obviously missed the snail express and I must tell you that the ants were totally loco. Please notice the use of my amazing spanish vocabulary. I'm brushing up because one of my Mexican besties is coming back to Australia to be with her chonchito (another good use of Spanish) so I can't wait to welcome her and show off with my skills! I'm SO excited- I can't wait to have that crazy girl back. And I'm so happy for her and Chonchis- yay yay yay. Some things do work out for the best! You may remember Pachecy from other blog posts such as Aussie Thanksgiving, The Manor, Sirocco Noosa and the rainy cocktail series. Anyway- back to the loco ants....I had to leave the garden multiple times when they got into a biting frenzy - I'm going to look up some organic solutions for those little pests too- because I left the garden with mini welts from all their stupid little mini bites.

Lastly, I'm going to give the ginger plants a little bit more time to sprout in water before I plant. I want to make sure they are ready, and I'm too lazy to do anymore today.

I've watered the plants in, and doused liberally with seasol. The only problem now is that I'm leaving tomorrow for a little while and my lazy co-gardener may not bestow the same love on the garden that I do! He had better not neglect or there will be consequences, like no vegetables and a sooky me when I return!!!

So, tell me readers- what are you getting ready to plant?

G.G. Cooks Matt Wilkinson's Spinach, mustard greens and baked ricotta

2012-02-27T21:16:00.000+10:00

Flipping through the latest issue of Gourmet Trav, I stumbled across an excerpt from Matt Wilkinson's new book- Mr Wilkinson's Favourite Vegetables. Seeing I'm basically a vegetable merchant (well only to my own family and a few neighbours but practically...) I decided this was indeed, most suitable for this evenings meal. Whilst I don't grow mustard greens, I do have a number of other substitutable options and as we all know, there's nothing better than whipping something up with ingredients that have come from the garden minutes earlier. Literally minutes. It took me 33 seconds to walk out there - 3 minutes to cut my greens, have a look around, scout for snails and 33 seconds to walk back in. Yeh yeh. Take that for convenience, you corporate giant duopolist supermarket suckers!

To go with, and to use up some of the delectable leftover lamb (recipe from Italian Food Safari) from last night- some good ol' lamb, pea and mint fritters with homemade tomato relish (which is deeeelish). Recipe for the batter for the fritters came from my memory, which came from my Dad's memory, who got it from Gran's memory, who no doubt got it from something like the commonsense cookery book or something similar.

In the notes about the dish, Mr Wilkinson says that he has used everything from warrigal greens, to nettles, silverbeet, beetroot tops and broad bean and pea shoots which is just fab news, because as you avid G.G. readers would know, I have a number of these in my garden- and I'm sure you do too. Variety is the spice of life or whatever that old saying is. Anyway- speaking of spice, the nutmeg and cayenne pepper add a nice little kick to the dish- and if I were you- I'd even dare to be a little more heavy handed.

I used some rocket, beetroot tops, spinach and silverbeet in my dish, which turned out really quite well.

Spinach, mustard greens and baked ricotta
Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:
150ml of olive oil
300 gm picked spinach leaves, washed, spun dry and roughly chopped
300 gm mustard greens. washed spun dry and roughly chopped
2 golden shallots, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 pinch cayenne pepper
200 gm fresh ricotta
2 egg yolks
200 ml pouring cream

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Celsius. Heat a 32cm diameter frying pan over high heat. Add the olive oil and when hot, throw in the spinach, mustard greens, shallot and garlic and cook, stirring or tossing all the time, until wilted. Take off the heat and mix in the nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and a big pinch of fine sea salt. Pour into a large bowl and, using a wooden spoon, fold in the ricotta.

2. Whisk the egg yolks and cream together in a small bowl. Pour into the ricotta mixture and mix well. Transfer to an ovenproof baking dish measuring 20cm in diameter and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the ricotta has puffed up. Take out of the oven and serve immediately.

So, tell me readers - what are your favourite greens? (no Bob Brown or similar answers please.. ha ha)

Sorry my photos are still terrible (said in French accent to accentuate just how terrible they are), I'm STILL waiting to see if the contents of my laptop can be recovered and in the meantime am only shooting on the iphone.

Addimi Espresso Cafe Tamworth

2012-02-24T14:49:00.005+10:00

There are plenty of good things about living in The Sticks. I can have my garden, there are very friendly (sometimes nosey, but generally well meaning) chaps everywhere, and I'm able to have a few cows (one to milk and one to dry age). Unfortunately a plethora of good and exciting dining options sadly isn't on the list.

In fact, in the whole of the North West Slopes and Plains, there are only a mini sized handful of places that I would visit on a regular basis and enjoy the meal every time. Being here has definitely been more about the food I can grow and cook, and less about the food I can go out to enjoy. Not that I mind this of course, but it's also nice to have the option to visit somewhere fab for lunch if you feel like a nice long lunch or just a little treat.

When I was recently in Tamworth, my compadre suggested Addimi Espresso Cafe. I went along with no great expectations, but with the hope that they would have something on offer other than the usual sun dried tomato foccacia melt, B.L.AT. with chips and salad or chicken caesar (no anchovies).

Glancing from the outside, the cafe is very busy- it has a buzz to it, with some quaint seating outside and in. The decor is simple, yet obvious thought has gone into the design, and this little eatery wouldn't look out of place in a Melbourne laneway.

Once we are seated, a polite waitress brings a menu, and it's to my relief that there isn't a chicken burger in sight. I'm impressed with the extent of the menu, and the interesting options available. From the cabinet, paninis from $13.9 are an option. Fillings are inspired and include the tasty looking rosemary lamb, rocket and tzatziki. I notice a number of other patrons filling up on the popular paninis.

Blackboard specials are tempting. $22 for a chat potato, chorizo and olive salad with paprika, parsley, chives and watercress - or $23 for a seared Salmon fillet with asparagus, organo and garlic cream fettucine, which takes my P.I.E.'s (partner in eating) fancy.

Being almost embarrassingly predictable with my choices, I notice the $26 scallop salad with crispy pancetta, sun dried tomatoes, beetroot and watercress and decide to go with it. I can't help but wonder if it is a good idea eat these jewels of the sea when I'm in The Sticks, but the addict within screams for a hit of scallopy goodness. I've been craving scallops for a while and these are one of the few foods (ok, that is a HUGE lie, there so many things on this list I've lost count) I really, really cannot do without.

From the name of the establishment, you can tell that coffee is something they are pretty keen on. I can't comment - you know, that old I don't do coffee because I'm not great with caffeine chestnut, but luckily my companion can give a little rundown (I think I'll have to aim to have a coffee lover with me on my eating trips). They use allpress espresso and my PIE ordered a large cappucino. A small was delievered to the table - and as my PIE needed a caffeine hit and wasn't happy to settle for a small, this was promptly rectified. The coffee was hot and strong, and went down quite well. A cut above coffee available anywhere else in town/the district. (If you ever want to punish someone severely, take them to the Tamworth Airport and order a flat white.. punishment enough for any heinous crime)...

I liked the look of a dairy free, house made frappe but then saw the san pellegrino range offered and went with an old fave, the totally underrated limonata.

Not long after our drinks arrive, the food is placed on the table in front of us. Very quick. I estimate this was only about 10 minutes after we placed our order, which is prompt and perfect if you are just popping in for lunch or on a break from work.

My salad, fresh and full is surrounded by 8 scallops. I have to admit that in The Sticks, $26 is probably a little pricier than most options, but with 8 babies on my plate, I'm happy enough to pay the asking price (did I have a choice anyway? ha ha). I'm delighted to see the scallops with a just caramelised appearance and once I cut through and pop one into my mouth, my fears dissolve, as does the scallop which is tender and as it should be. The pancetta is crispy and salty, a good companion for it's sea mate on the plate. The salad was 'nice', but the taste wasn't quite on target. Perhaps not being a personal fan of sundried tomatoes taints my view, but I would have preferred without. The olives and beetroot, however, worked well and added some complexity to the dish. The subtle sensation that should be provided by the truffled dressing was faint, if impossible to detect. The watercress was absent and replaced with snow pea tendrils and some lettuce, but this isn't really a detriment to the dish. Overall, the dish was good- scallops and pancetta are perfect partners, the salad was fresh but could use some refining.

My PIE's meal was just what the doctor ordered (literally, aren't doctors always telling us to eat more fish?!). The salmon was crispy skinned but soft inside, and the garlic cream fettucine was creamy with a punch of garlicky goodness and managed to be light whilst still being moreish. The asparagus was cut into small pieces, but cooked to perfection- tender. The only complaint from my pie was that there could have been more asparagus. The nice thing about this dish was that the portions of each component were perfect- the salmon being a sensible size but still filling enough for a hearty lunch.

By this stage, the seating was getting a little uncomfortable- stools always have this problem. They look cute but aren't particularly great for longer stays. This did play on my mind but didn't deter me from leaving without first getting something sweet. The cabinet had captured my attention with some simply gorgeous looking baked goods. Carrot cake with vanilla frosting $3.8, Apple crumble, Belgium choc brownies (about $4.8 from memory) and pistachio and raspberry friands at $4.2 looked cute to boot, but it was the lime and citrus tea cake for $4.2 that looked like something I'd like to have in my (imaginary, pinterest inspired, vintage and totally gorgeous) tea parties that I finally decided upon (after two trips to the cabinet looking like a total fatty).

I would have been well impressed if they had made all these goodies in house, but it turns out they have them shipped in (well, let's face it- it's not actually shipped because there is no sea to ship on) from Sydney. Still, this doesn't take away from the delicateness and cuteness of the items, and the fact the range was so much more interesting than 'caramel slice or mars bar slice.' Chosen well Addimi. My cake was coconutty and moist and a little bit spesh. I will go back and order some more of the items- belgium chocolate brownie - you may wish to run for cover!

Our bill for the meal came in at just $62 which isn't cheap and cheerful but given the quality and interesting food on offer and the prompt service, definitely isn't overpriced.

It was a relief to finally find somewhere that serves up something that is worth writing about- and more importantly, worth going back to. This little spot is a little bit cosmopolitan and a little bit cute with interesting food and a buzzy vibe.

When to visit: Whenever you are in Tamworth

So tell me readers, have you found any good places to eat in The Sticks?

Addimi Espresso

257/259 Peel Street

Tamworth NSW 2340

ph: 02 6766 7802