rosemary and lavender cold processed soap

i had to climb over a car to make this soap..and i'm not speaking figuratively..i literally had to scale a celica..it's a mixed blessing letting my son store his vintage car in my garage while he's away for six months..for one thing i had to do a bit of long overdue clearing and cleaning first..it was a case of three days work, nature strip donations and some excited hoarders..one of whom brought a trailer..and i loved being able to help my boy out..the downside is that it's now a mission to get to stuff like my soap making paraphernalia..i did get my boy nick to check that i could access the narrow passage between the car and the stuff stored along the sides of the garage..he did a quick shimmy..i was satisfied it was possible..but later when i tried myself it was a different story..i hadn't accounted for our differences in agility and circumference!

rosemary and lavender cold processed soap recipe

tea with hazel

ingredients

1000 gms olive oil 

500 gms copha

25 gms beeswax

215 gms sodium hydroxide

400 mls filtered water

a cup or so of rosemary leaves*

lavender*

method

~ process 200 gms of the olive oil and the rosemary and leave to infuse for a couple of weeks

~ strain through muslin

~ follow the instructions here for making the soap except after pouring the soap into the container sprinkle with lavender before covering and insulating the container

notes

* i picked the herbs from my garden..i used the rosemary fresh but the lavender i picked and dried last summer..it's a french lavender that doesn't look anything much in the garden and it doesn't smell particularly lavendery when fresh but once it's dried it has the nicest lavender scent of any i've grown..

~ each bar cost approximately $0.65..the beeswax i found at an op shop for $0.50!

 it doesn't show up but the soap is a lovely soft green colour with some pretty shading on top caused
 (i'm guessing) by the lavender

i'm looking forward to using it in a few weeks time

herbs de provence and rose olive oil cake

do you remember in the seventies when carrot cakes were all the rage? no..weren't even born then! well..believe me when i say they were de rigueur and cutting edge gastronomy back then..what? a vegetable in a cake? oil instead of butter? wow!

i got on the carrot cake bandwagon with great enthusiasm..come on..i'd just returned to australia after having lived in a small town in the mountains of northern greece for a few years..i was easily excited.. 

one day i thought i was being clever when, instead of using a flavourless oil, i used extra virgin olive oil to make my usual carrot cake..no surprise then that it tasted strongly of olive oil but my taste buds just weren't up to the flavour in a cake even though they were olive oil inured so i reverted to the flavourless stuff..now fast forward to yesterday when i put all of my decades old extra virgin olive oil in cake prejudices aside to make this recipe..the cake has herbs de provence in it too..what? herb de provence in a cake? wow!

i found the recipe for this herbs de provence and rose olive oil cake here when i was looking for ways to use all the grapefruit my girl kat gave me..the flavours in this cake intrigued me but i wasn't sure how i would like them but i think they're wonderful..i thought the rose water* would dominate but it's quite subtle and goes really well with the grapefruit..and the herbs de provence* add intriguing and delightful notes that complement the delicious fruity flavours of the olive oil..not being one to waste much i made candied peel from the juiced grapefruit skins..that was the only thing i did differently..oh..hang on..i did cut down on the sugar a bit..

note: * i used a french rose water concentrate imported by the essential ingredient purchased from here and herbs de provence, brought back from france by my dear friend robyn, that included rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram and summer savoury..

have you come across any flavours that have intrigued and surprised you lately?

broccoli and stilton soup

broccoli is a vegetable that grows easily in melbourne's winter

 just net the seedlings in autumn when the cabbage moth larvae are still active

or maintain a constant vigil

and two months later you'll be picking 

green bouquets

broccoli and stilton soup

tea with hazel

ingredients 

vegetable stock

2 onions cut medium

2 large carrots cut into medium rounds

2-3 celery stalks cut medium and celery leaves

3-4 parsley stalks including leaves

4 garlic cloves

1 tbs pepper corns

olive oil

filtered water

soup

1 medium onion cut into large dice

6-8 spring onions, including green, sliced

2 medium potatoes cut medium

1 celery stalk sliced

1 green chilli, seeds removed, sliced

2 litres vegetable stock

1/2 medium cauliflower, stalks removed and retained, and florets cut medium

1 large broccoli head, leaves retained, stalks removed and retained, and florets cut medium

olive oil

salt and pepper

50 gms stilton

extras per serve

1-2 tablespoons (tbs) lemon juice

2 tbs fresh sourdough breadcrumbs crisped in bacon fat (or olive oil for a vegetarian option)

1-2 tbs crumbled stilton

method

vegetable stock

~ saute onion, carrot, celery stalks and garlic in olive oil until the vegetables are transparent and browning on edges

~ cover with water and add parsley and pepper corns

~ bring to the boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for 45 minutes, and then strain

broccoli soup  

~ saute onion, spring onions, potato, celery and chilli in olive oil until vegetables are transparent and browning on edges

~ add cauliflower and broccoli stalks, broccoli leaves and stock and bring to the boil, lower heat to simmer ad cook until the vegetables are soft

~ add cauliflower florets, cook until al dente, and then add broccoli florets and cook until just soft

~ adjust seasoning

~ remove a few of the broccoli florets, roughly break them up and set aside, and puree the soup using a blender or stick blender
~ stir through stilton

to serve

~ divide broccoli florets between soup bowls, add soup, drizzle with lemon juice, and garnish with stilton and bread crumbs

polenta, corn flour, biodynamic wholemeal flour and organic white flour sourdough

soup and bread is one of my favourite meals

spiral cheese pie with home made phyllo and ricotta (strifti tyropita)

i don't have a bucket list of places i want to go and things i want to see but there are some food related things i want try making again or make for the first time..phyllo pastry has been on my try again list for a long time..i'd made it in greece a couple times and once more years and years ago when i first came back to australia..i had a sense of trepidation at the thought of tackling it again though..who knows why because it wouldn't have been a big deal had it not turned out ok..bins are good for dealing with cooking disasters..

spiral cheese pie with home made phyllo and ricotta (strifti tyropita)

tea with hazel

2-3 serves

 ingredients

phyllo

500 gms plain flour
1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons salt (i used murray river salt that is less salty than conventional salt)

2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons (tbs) fresh lemon juice

ricotta

1 cup milk

1/2 cup pure cream

large pinch salt 

1 tbs fresh lemon juice or cider vinegar

cheese filling

100 gms feta crumbled

50 gms grated parmesan

50 gms grated kefalotyri

ricotta (from above recipe)

1 egg

1 spring onion cut fine

1-2 tbs mint or dill cut fine

1/2 tsp pepper

extra

olive oil

sesame seeds

method

phyllo

day 1

~ place flour, salt and lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer and with the motor running add enough water to make a soft dough

~ knead the dough on low speed for about 5 minutes

~ remove the bowl from the stand mixer, cover the dough with a damp cloth, and rest for at least an hour

~ divide the dough into 10 pieces and knead into balls

~ rest covered for 1/2 hour

~ dust the work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough to about the size of a large bread and butter plate

~ stack the disks on top of each other between sheets of baking paper

~ place in a plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight

day 2

~ liberally dust the work surface with flour and roll two of the pieces of the dough, using a long rolling pin, to large dinner plate size

~ carefully stretch the dough by hand to create transparent thin sheets being careful not to tear the dough* 

ricotta

~ place the milk, cream and salt in a saucepan and bring to the boil

~ take off the heat and add lemon juice or vinegar and stir once

~ leave to rest for a minute and then strain through muslin (i retain the whey for making bread)

cheese filling

~ mix all ingredients and refrigerate until needed

assembly

~ line a 22 cm diameter round tin with baking paper

~ brush each piece of phyllo with oil and divide the filling between the two sheets

~ gently spread the filling evenly over the surface of the phyllo

~ roll each piece into a long sausage

~ coil one sausage in the centre of the tin and, starting at the end of the first piece, place the second sausage in the tin

~ brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds

~ bake at 180 deg for about 45 minutes or until well browned

notes/comments

* the dough may tear a little, particularly on the edges, but that doesn't effect the final outcome of the pie
~ unused phyllo will keep for two to three days

~ to make a larger pie to feed extra people increase the ricotta and cheese filling proportionally 

one off the list..and no bin needed!

post publication note: i've made phyllo a couple of times since posting this recipe and i've found that if the dough is rested for an hour it doesn't necessarily need overnight resting..overnight resting is useful though for getting part of the work done ahead of time..

ethical dilemma

i've been thinking a lot about my food choices lately..it's nothing new though because i've been ruminating for decades..you see there's a part of me that would really prefer to be vegetarian or vegan..actually i was vegetarian for about four years but i reverted to limited meat eating when i became increasingly unwell..

one of the issues that concerns me is the way we have commodified animals for human consumption..it doesn't rest easy with me at all..in hunter gatherer times animals had a bit of a chance but with animal domestication their destiny is now predetermined..treating them well is all fine and good but it does seem a bit weird to go all 'oh i'm so nice to these animals..aren't i such a good person'..and then turn around and kill them, cook them and gobble them up..it's very hansel and gretel..

i've no answer to this dilemma though so i only eat small amounts of meat occasionally that i incorporate and balance with other ingredients..i'm not one to crave a big juicy steak or hop into slabs of meat from spit roasted animals..easter was not a good time for me when i was living in greece..yeah..i loved the ritual of easter sunday's lamb on the spit and all the palaver associated with preparing it and cooking it but i just couldn't eat any of it..

one thing that i've been doing lately is cooking more beans..i used to cook them more..my children grew up on beans and lentils and while i still cook lentils often i've neglected beans in the last few years..i've found that a big batch of home cooked baked beans is a great thing to have in the fridge..for instance, my girl kat came over to do patchwork with me on sunday and instead of me having to make something from scratch and take time away from our precious sewing time together i was able to reheat some beans that i then served on some homemade apple sourdough*** toast and topped with grated cheese and a couple of thin slices of crispy skara bacon..she loved it..i've also been having them for breakfast..and they're great to have on hand for days when i've been too busy to prepare and cook a meal..

versatile baked beans*

tea with hazel

ingredients

500 gms australian great northern beans**

3-4 medium onions cut fine

2-3 celery stalks cut fine (i used home grown)

2 largish carrots cut fine

1 green or red chilli (i used home grown)

4 or more garlic cloves cut fine

2-3 bay leaves (i used leaves that i stole from a tree in my neighbourhood that's hanging over a fence)

3-4 tablespoons (tbs) organic salt free tomato paste

2 teaspoons (tsp) powdered english mustard

1 tbs treacle
3-4 tbs cider vinegar

1 organic hot chorizo sausage sliced

olive oil

pinch of bicarbonate of soda

salt and pepper

method

day 1

~ cover beans with water and leave to soak overnight

day 2

~ drain the beans and add fresh water to cover, add bicarbonate of soda, and cook until just softened

~ in another saucepan saute the onion, celery, carrot and garlic until semi translucent

~ add chorizo and cook until the slices are starting to brown on the edges

~ add tomato paste, some of the bean cooking water to loosen the tomato paste, mustard, vinegar  and treacle and mix well

~ add the beans and the bean cooking water and season with salt and pepper

~ tip into a baking dish, drizzle with oil and bake at 180 deg c for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the top is slightly browned

notes

*     yesterday's version
**  they cost me $5.50/kilo..the baking dish of beans makes about 5-6 servings so it's a really cheap but nutritious meal
*** sourdough with grated fresh unpeeled organic apples, organic rye, biodynamic wholemeal and a bit of organic white flour and amaranth seeds

suggested alternative ingredients

~ replace the cooking water with unsalted stock
~ add vegetables and herbs such as capsicum, fennel and/or parsley
~ use brown sugar or molasses instead of treacle or omit altogether
~ use dijon mustard or add mustard seeds at the vegetable saute stage
~ replace the tomato paste with passata or fresh tomatoes
~ omit the chorizo or replace with chunks of bacon or proscuitto
~ use other beans such as lima or haricot beans
~ use good quality left over fat such as bacon or pork fat to saute
~ before baking dust the top with paprika

serving suggestions

~ top with a poached egg
~ serve with sausages
~ add grated cheese and crispy bacon (omit chorizo)
~ serve with a salad
~ sprinkle with fresh parsley

~ use in a jaffle or a toasted sandwich if like me you threw your jaffle iron away

there is great discomfort that comes from the realisation that there is no answer to my problem and that the issue will never go away..i have a tendency to want answers and solutions but sometimes there just isn't one and that's just how it is..

bitter grapefruit and whisky* marmalade

my girl kat brought me a whole lot of home grown fruit recently that she got from work..several of her colleagues had taken apples, lemons and grapefruit to work for anyone to help themselves but because there were so few takers i became the lucky recipient..i've made a few different things as well as this marmalade but i still have many kilos of fruit left..none of it will be wasted

bitter grapefruit and whisky marmalade

tea with hazel

makes 5 jars

ingredients

1 kilo grapefruit

1 kilo sugar**

1 litre filtered water

1/3 cup whisky (i used chivas regal that was gifted to me by a friend for cooking)

method

~ cut the grapefruit in quarters, remove and retain any seeds, and then slice the fruit finely

~ place the seeds in a muslin square and tie up into a sachet with string

~ place the grapefruit and sachet in a large saucepan, add water, and leave overnight or for about 12 hours

~ boil the fruit for 30 minutes

~ add warmed sugar but do not allow to boil until the sugar has completely dissolved

~ once the sugar has dissolved boil rapidly, stirring every now and again, until set has been reached

~ add whisky and boil for a minute to cook out the alcohol

~ squeeze the seed sachet to extract as much pectin possible and discard the sachet

~ ladle the marmalade into warm sterilised jars and cap immediately

notes:
*   'whisky' denotes scottish whisky whereas the spelling 'whiskey' denotes irish or american whiskey
** i tasted the jam as it was reaching set and it was not sweet enough so, after removing the jam from the heat, i added an extra 250 gms of sugar..after the sugar had dissolved i brought it back to the boil and set was reached quickly

i really like the bitter flavour of marmalade..do you?

this post submitted to punk domestics