My Garden

Recipe

Quiche

A basic quiche. Ingredients Quantity Measure Ingredient 1 1⁄2 sheets shortcrust pastry 8 large eggs 1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream 4 stems shallots 200 grams smoked ham hock 30 grams parmigiano-reggiano cheese 200 grams brie / camembert cheese 1 whole red bell pepper 1⁄2 tsp salt 1⁄2 tsp white pepper 1⁄2 tsp smoky paprika 2 tsp dijon mustard 1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper Instructions Line a greased baking pan with the pastry and weigh it down with some glass beads. Read More >>

Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Vinegar Sauce

Ingredients Quantity Measure Ingredient 3⁄4 cup roasted red peppers 2 whole mild chilli peppers 2 cloves garlic 2 whole anchovie fillets 1 sprig rosemary 1⁄2 tsp salt 1⁄8 tsp black pepper 2⁄4 cup water 1⁄3 cup olive oil 2 tbs white wine vinegar 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley Instructions Blend in a food processor. Read More >>

Recipe

Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients: Quantity Measure Ingredient 125 g chocolate powder 250 g castor sugar 125 g brown sugar 250 g milk 200 g double cream 200 g thickened cream 1⁄2 tbsp coffee essence 1⁄2 tbsp vanilla essence 1 pinch salt 1 whole egg yolk Directions: Place all the ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth. Read More >>

Recipe

Ginger Beer

Ingredients: Quantity Measure Ingredient 4 L water (chlorine free) 500 g sugar 200 - 250 g ginger 3 whole star anise 30 whole dried black peppercorns 12 whole allspice berries 12 whole cardamom pods 3 whole cloves 200 ml ginger beer bug Directions: Fill a pot with the water and sugar and start to bring it up to temperature. Read More >>

Recipe

Punjabi Garam Masala

Punjabi Garam Masala is an Indian spice blend that adds deep aromatic flavours to many dishes. Base Ingredients Quantity Measure Ingredient 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tbs coriander seeds 1⁄2 tsp whole black peppercrons 1 tsp cloves 1⁄2 tsp black cardamom seeds (badi elacichi) 3 sticks cinnamon 3 whole tejpatta leaves (Cinnamomum tamal, Indian Bay Leaf) Instructions Dry toast all the ingrediants in a pan then transfer to a plate to cool. Read More >>

Recipe

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinade Ingredients Quantity Measure Ingredient 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp coriander seeds 1⁄2 tsp black peppercorns 1⁄2 tsp salt 10 whole red chilies (dry, large, roasted, seeded & chopped) 1 tsp galangal 1 stalk lemongrass (finely chopped) 1⁄4 kaffir lime rind (finely chopped) 6 coriander roots or stems (finely chopped) 2 shallots (finely chopped) 4 cloves garlic (crushed) 2 tsp shrimp paste 8 red birdseye chilies (seeded) Instructions Place cumin, coriander and peppercorns in a small frying pan and dry roast over medium heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Read More >>

Plant

Chives, scientific name Allium schoenoprasum, are an edible species of the genus Allium. Their close relatives include the garlic, shallot, leek, scallion, and Chinese onion. Learn more on Wikipedia Read More >>

Plant

Celery (Apium graveolens) is a marshland plant in the family Apiaceae that has been cultivated as a vegetable since antiquity. Celery has a long fibrous stalk tapering into leaves. Depending on location and cultivar, either its stalks, leaves, or hypocotyl are eaten and used in cooking. Celery seed is also used as a spice and its extracts have been used in herbal medicine. Learn more on Wikipedia Read More >>

Plant

Allium tuberosum (garlic chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, Chinese leek) is a species of onion native to southwestern parts of the Chinese province of Shanxi, and cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in Asia and around the world. Learn more on Wikipedia Read More >>

Garden

The First Planting of Our New Orchard

It’s been a tough week, but the first planting is completed for the orchard I am starting at the front of our house. The trees are all still quite small. They have been kept in containers until now and are no doubt keen to spread their roots in the good soil. The trees are spaced far enough apart for when they are full grown. In between I am placing shrubs and other small plants that I have on hand. Read More >>

Garden

Finishing the Earthworks

We finished the earthworks today. The back yard has been reshaped a little (no photos) but the main work was filling in the trenches we dug and then mounding the contents of the two bush turkey nests on top of that. I still need to run over it with a rake and shape it the way I want, but it’s basically all in place now. You can’t see the fence post holes we had drilled into the ground with a massive auger, but they are done now as well. Read More >>

Garden

Ginger, Galangal and Turmeric

Ginger, galangal, and turmeric. Two of those three are actually pretty hard to get fresh around here. Galangal and turmeric are rarely for sale as roots. In fact, I’ve never seen galangal fresh, and only once found fresh turmeric. I bought that turmeric, cut it up a bit and planted it into some soil. I did the same to some fresh ginger at the same time into much the same pots - then forgot which was which. Read More >>