Author: Allie Jarratt

Orange and apple muffins

Orange and apple muffins

Ingredients Method About this recipe Comparing apples with oranges was the name of the game for my fruit bowl for a while there, thanks to Wonky Box. It got me thinking – oranges are lovely in baking, but I haven’t come across many recipes where 

Mandarin cake

Mandarin cake

Ingredients: Method: I’ve recently subscribed to Wonky Box – what a delight! It gives me a nice little pick-me-up throughout my week – make no mistake, I am exactly the kind of geek who finds vegetable-related updates exciting. Tuesday’s announcement of which goodies to expect 

Tummy travels

Tummy travels

I am just back from a  truly fabulous trip away overseas, so please do forgive my gap in posting.  While I recover from jet lag and make my way through a substantial stack of dirty socks and other clothing (why does one half of a pair of socks go missing SO OFTEN?!) I’m sharing some happy tummy highlights.

We carved out a decent chunk of Ireland on a map, hired a car and set to it. What a delight. Warm people, stunning scenery and delicious eating. I could not get enough of the Irish brown bread – every place has its own home-made version. Always hearty with a substantial chew and generous side of butter. Dela in Galway was a particular meal highlight with a plate-heaving vege breakfast and mimosa – their home grown tomatoes starred in the relish and my mouth still waters at the memory. Dublin’s 3fe provided very welcome relief for jet lag with excellent coffee and even better food; there were return visits.

A pit stop in Birmingham introduced me to Saint Kitchen…if you’re in Birmingham, go there! I can still taste the delicious avocado smash; I don’t know what they put in it but rest assured I will be trying to recreate it this summer.

A week in Berlin and I feel we barely touched the surface of this extraordinary city…we did give our best shot at eating as much of the excellent food as possible though. Cheap, varied and dependably great are the words that spring to mind and I have too many photos of all of it to bore you with, but please tolerate some snaps of Wen Cheng’s biang biang noodles, coffee and pastry at Godshot and of course excellent beer at Braugier and Prater beer garden.

I missed cooking and have been back in my beloved kitchen so some more of my own food and recipes will be with you soon.

Peach and almond upside down cake

Peach and almond upside down cake

Ingredients: Method: About this recipe My peach and almond upside down cake is dense and hearty with a buttery topping of sweet sliced fruit. Inspired by the retro delight of a pineapple upside down cake, this version is comforting and appropriate for winter, with a 

Pretty red pears

Pretty red pears

Oh my, when I spotted this beautiful red fruit at the shops I simply could not leave it there – such a gorgeous colour, and somehow I have never sampled one before. This little beauty is a Piqa Boo pear – yes, I agree, what 

Feijoa kasundi (from Feijoabulous)

Feijoa kasundi (from Feijoabulous)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup canola or other neutral oil
  • 1 T tumeric
  • 2 T each of ground cumin and chilli powder
  • 125g root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 12 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 & 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 1 kg feijoas, topped and tailed and chopped, but skin on
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 T mustard seeds
  • 1 T salt

Method

  • Place ginger, garlic, feijoas and vinegar into a food processor and blend until smooth.*
  • In a large pot, heat the oil, add the spices and cook until fragrant.
  • Add the feijoa mixture to the pot, along with the sugar, mustard seeds and salt, and cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil floats on the top (about 30 minutes).
  • Ladle into warm sterilised jars. Add a layer of oil to the top of each jar before sealing.

About

I had such a great weekend visiting Whanganui a couple of weeks ago. The highlight was of course seeing our dear friends who have made their home there. One of the many bonuses of staying with them was discovering the Feijoabulous recipe book. Did you know Whanganui has an annual ‘Feijoabluous’ feijoa festival? Well, I do now, and frankly, what a great idea. Sustainable Whanganui not only hosts the festival but also produces a recipe book with plenty of ideas for the glut many lucky feijoa growers experience in a season.

I’m going to have to try a number of these, especially the feijoa vodka. With some leftover, empty jars just hanging around after my recent apple jelly-making, however, the kasundi was a natural first choice. Kasundi is a mustard-rich condiment originally from Bengal. Fragrant, sweet feijoas are a delightful base for the pungent mustard and vinegar in this adaptation. I have found it is particularly delicious eaten rather non-traditionally with some sharp cheddar on crackers; give this a try for a new twist on your platter!

*if you don’t have a food processor, I think you could dice the feijoas into quite small pieces and let sit with the vinegar, garlic and ginger – it would make a slightly chunkier kasundi, but this is not a bad thing!

Cashew butter cookies – vegan + gluten free

Cashew butter cookies – vegan + gluten free

Ingredients Method About this recipe Struggling to come up with vegan and gluten free baking ideas? Then let cashew butter be your friend. My lovely Fix and Fogg jar of cashew butter was a gift and gosh I love it. It’s creamy and rich and 

Apple jelly

Apple jelly

Ingredients: Method: We’re really in Autumn here now and I’m enjoying the mellow days and slight cooling in the air. I enjoy Autumnal eating – warming soups and stews, sauces and pickles made from the last of the summer tomatoes, feijoas. I was lucky to 

Roasted Andiamo tomatoes

Roasted Andiamo tomatoes

Ingredients:

  • Andiamo tomatoes (or other San Marzano type tomatoes)
  • Baby eggplants
  • Garlic cloves
  • Basil leaves
  • Olive oil spray or a drizzle of olive oil

    Method:

    Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.

    Cut the tomatoes, eggplants and garlic in half lengthways.

    Spray a large roasting tin with olive oil spray, or drizzle with olive oil. Place the tomatoes and eggplants in a single layer in the tin. Place the garlic cloves on top of the eggplants and tomatoes and scatter with basil leaves.

    Roast for 30 minutes or until tomatoes and eggplants have started to collapse.

    About this recipe

    It’s not really a recipe so much as my documenting of what I did with a lucky bounty from my parents, who are amazing gardeners as I have documented here before. These Andiamo tomatoes are special; they are a variety of San Marzano – a robust plum tomato prized for its sweet flesh and lower water and seed content. They come from San Marzano Sul Sarno, in the Salermo province of Southern Italy, where volcanic soils are thought to make the tomatoes sweeter and less acidic. San Marzano tomato types are favourites for sauces, canning or bottling whole. I took my Dad’s advice with this batch though, and roasted them – they came up beautifully and tasted delicious with the soft little baby eggplants and a smattering of garlic and basil. I topped toasted slices of Vogels with this mixture and a generous spread of feta. Lip-smacking lunches for days and a daily reminder of my luck in having such generous, green fingered parents.

      Warming red lentil and carrot soup

      Warming red lentil and carrot soup

      Ingredients: Method: In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the ginger, garlic and all the spices. Keep stirring to prevent anything burning. Once the coriander and mustard seeds start to pop (2-3 minutes), add the lentils, rice and carrots. Stir to coat in the