Maison Bleue

The Backyard Pharmacy at Maison Bleue continues to evolve in its second winter. The new fence awaits the final touch of a pair of pellets fashioned into gates. A testament to salvage and garage sale bargains, items have been repurposed as far as the eye can see. It is a very satisfying way to view the function of objects that may not be expected to have any further use in their original iteration. Hence we have found a purpose for what has come to embellish our green dispensary rather than create landfill.

Having come through more dry weather in the first half of this year, the garden needed attention to plan for the best location for winter plantings, based on the results of the composting that was instructive in what grew well, where and why. We have now decreased the quantity of horse manure and happily welcomed the shredded paper from the office tidying and paper sorting that is best suited to cold and damp days.

Mario’s figs were dried and have made their way into my favourite sourdough offering – a fig, walnut and spiced loaf that toasts up well. The Maison Bleue  tamatar kasoundi has proven popular, made with the last box of locally produced tomatoes that could be obtained and enhanced by a generous amount of beautifully fresh powdered cumin, I only wish there had been time to make a second batch. But that is the point of seasonal produce. It is enjoyed in a number of ways and then preserved, but when it runs out there is the anticipation of the joys of the coming season and the wait for the first flush of a new harvest of flavoursome garden treats.

A special treat at the moment are the sweet potatoes that were waiting under the surface just when the frosts started. Inspired by East Timorese gardeners at the Highett St community garden in Richmond, I have now had two small harvests and the perfumed scent of a fresh sweet potato is something that is missed in store bought produce. They are also high vitamins and minerals, including carotenoids, antioxidants that play a role in helping the body respond to insulin, among other things. I enjoy lightly steaming them and combining with other root vegetables, some cheese, herbs and some of The Girls googs to make a family favourite that we refer to as Canadian Flan, but is more of a pie, tasty either hot (with kasoundi) or cold.

Golden Canadian Pie

Home made wholemeal spelt pastry – blind baked until starting to brown on the edges – made with 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour, ½ cup white spelt flour, a good pinch of salt, 1 dessertspoonful butter and 1 dessertspoonful of olive oil rubbed in and made into a dough with a little cold water

Filling:

Diced sweet potato, potato, carrot, pumpkin, parsnip – 5 cups

1 large diced onion

½ white end of a medium leek sliced finely

3 eggs

1 cup grated tasty cheese

2 tablespoonsful finely grated parmesan cheese

seasoning

Steam the vegies until softened

Blend the eggs and soft cheese and stir in grated cheeses and herbs

Combine veggies with mixture (don’t mash) and season. Spoon into the pastry case and press down firmly and top with additional grated parmesan cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees until nicely browned and firm– around 30 minutes.

After 6 months of dry conditions some rain has revived the parched garden at Maison Bleue. Its the time of year for tidying, replenishing and planting for winter crops. Many of these crops now going in are in the mustard family – so red cabbage, romanescu cauliflower (for the looks as much as anything), Brussels sprouts, broccolini, bok choy, garlic, cavolo nero, red kale, more rocket and mustard (pictured in seedling form). I learned about the usefulness of mustard from East Timorese gardeners at the Richmond housing estate community garden at Highett st, where they grew large quantities and proceeded to dry, ferment and preserve it for winter use and manage to eke out several crops in quick succession.

The Girls have a penchant for brassicas – they will strip them if they can get into the garden beds – so in the face of a losing battle to keep them out a major upgrade to fence off The Backyard Pharmacy is underway – leaving them the rest of the acre to scratch away to their hearts’ content.  In addition there are wire cages protecting mustard plants growing in their yard that will be a rotating green pick for times when they have a day at home.

You can use mustard much as you would other leafy greens with a reasonably strong flavour. You can also find a nice mustard green and olive combo in oil in Vietnamese supermarkets.

All purpose cheesy greens filling.

1 cup blanched warragul greens, chopped

1 cup blanched mustard leaves, chopped

1 small brown onion/2 shallots/1/2 small leek chopped

Olive oil

Garlic at least 1 clove

Nutmeg, a good sprinkle, preferably freshly grated

Salt and pepper

1 egg

250 gms ricotta cheese

100 grams crumbled feta

1/3 cup grated parmesan

Lightly cook onion and garlic in olive oil. Add greens and cook for a few minutes on low temperature. Meanwhile combine cheeses, egg, spices and any fresh herbs you like that are available chopped and added to taste.

This blend is one I use for making various sizes and shapes of filo pastries, from one long roll curled in a cake tin and baked, or a strudel type length, individual parcels (using 3 sheets of filo) or narrow cigarello shaped filos for lunches. I also use it to fill cannelloni tubes and top with my home made passata to bake.  You can vary the ratio of greens to cheesiness depending on whats in the garden or your fridge.

The many activities to sequester the season’s produce for future use continue at Maison Bleue: harvesting and pickling, preserving and fermenting and seed saving for next year. Heather’s giant Darwin tomato seeds provided a particularly tasty variety of firm fleshed, large, dark pink tomatoes and seeds are stashed for next season and for gifts for those appreciative of interesting heritage varieties of tomatoes. There has been experimentation with yellow peaches in a honey syrup infused with homegrown lemongrass (doing particularly well in its long and narrow repurposed polystyrene box outside the kitchen window), cloves and cinnamon. Last year Mario’s figs were terrific done in honey with ginger, cloves and star anise and there is one jar left, with an order placed for this year’s supply.

Since then Maison Bleue has acquired a food dehydrator, so drying figs is on the agenda as well. It worked nicely to preserve the abundance of San Marzano tomatoes I grew from seed for the first time. They are now nicely marinating in olive oil for winter salads. Ferments continue and a batch of vanilla and cumquat bitters is maturing and I am learning to work with the effects of changing seasons and temperature on my sourdough starter.

The question on many people’s lips at this time of year remains what to do with those zuccinis that keep coming and morphing into baseball bat size, seemingly overnight? I have always liked bread and butter zuccini pickles so now we have a generous supply.

Zuccini bread and butter pickles

1.5 kg zuccini sliced finely
3 red onions, sliced finely
¼ cup salt
1 tablespoon coriander seeds,
roasted and ground
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon celery seed
3 cups cider vinegar
1 ½ cups light brown sugar
Add salt to zuccini and onion and refrigerate for 3 hours. Rinse and drain and pat dry. Heat remaining ingredients to dissolve sugar. Boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Pour over vegetables and bottle in sterilised jars.

The year of the ferment continues, and even when overseas in India recently more and interesting fermented foods were part of daily life. It is remarkable how all cultures seem to have their version of health giving fermented foods.

Fermentation of seasonal produce as a means to provide a source of vegetables in winter has been a feature of cultures dating back thousands of years. We are now well acquainted with sauerkraut or kimchi. The health benefits of these vegetable ferments relate to the preservation of nutrients when foods are fermented raw and uncooked. Similarly, important enzymes and gut-friendly bacteria are retained, aiding digestion and assimilation of nutrients in the body.

In India the presence of ferments was a feature of many meals at all times of day from idli at breakfast to semolina crisps and vadas (black gram donuts) later in the day.

Back home I wasted no time in extending my fermentation repertoire to making fermented vegetables. The first success comprised an Asian flavoured, fermented slaw – with cabbage, some from the garden, plus shredded home grown Nantes carrots and garlic plus ginger. Hot on the heels of this success came a bok choy, wakame, carrot, kohl rabi, garlic and chilli ferment.

My fermented produce inspired Madame le chef at neighbouring Casa Spring Gully to quickly devise a recipe to incorporate the new vegetable delicacies into some home grown potato salad with a light mayonnaise, sliced small gherkins and capers that was delicious.

Next off the rank was the long delayed sourdough breads starter. The first attempt, which was going beautifully until the third day, suddenly turned up its heels with the hot kitchen,…the second batch proved more successful and the first loaf of wholemeal spelt bread was delicious – substantial and tangy with sourdough flavour. Then came an omega3 experiment with flaxseed and chia seed – a bit less of a success but tasty too. A novel recipe came to mind, inspired by a favourite Italian cake, castagnaccio, and I combined spelt starter with chestnut flour to make a type of focaccia, brushed with olive oil and studded with pine nuts, rosemary sprigs, fennel seeds and salt flakes…as they say…different. But beautiful with assiago cheese.

Fermented vegetables

I used a glass container with a stoppered top that allowed easy release of gases. If using a screw-topped jar keep it loosely fitted. All containers and utensils must be cleaned thoroughly.
Half a small cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, julienned
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, finely sliced (vary according to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Remove about a cup and a half of the mixture and blend with enough water to make a juice-like consistency. Return this to the vegetables and mix through. Place the mixture in your glass jar. Place a tight fitting small inverted saucer or similar dish on top of the mix and press down until juices just cover it and air from underneath is expelled. Place in an area away from direct sunlight and wait for the fermenting to occur over the next few days. (I periodically pressed down on the saucer to expel accumulated gas). Keep smelling the brew and when satisfied that it has a lovely clean fermented odour place the lot in the fridge. This will depend on the temperature but may be as soon as 3 – 4 days. You may wish to decant into a couple of smaller jars for convenience.

At the Backyard Pharmacy at Maison Bleue our first artichokes of the season have arrived.  They make a spectacular and sculptural garden addition, either for consumption or contemplation. I remember on a visit to a community garden in Canberra how beautiful they looked when inter-planted along a garden perimeter with rhubarb plants. They’re one of my favourite medicinal foods. Valued by numerous cultures in the Mediterranean, particularly for their role as an antioxidant and liver tonic par excellence, eating them increases bile flow and assists with reducing cholesterol levels. They are also diuretic and help regulate blood sugar, plus they are high in magnesium. Eaten in a number of ways, you can even buy artichoke tea from Vietnamese grocers. Easy to prepare and needing minimal fuss, here’s what I intend to do with them:

Artichoke paste

Cut artichokes in half and steam until tender. Remove leaves and hairy choke and use the heart to puree into a paste in a food processor with olive oil and salt to taste (plus garlic and perhaps lemon and a touch of fresh mint). Store in a clean jar with a layer of olive oil on top and refrigerate. Lovely on toast, as a dip with raw veggies, or even tossed though pasta with fresh summer peas and prosciutto.

One of the mainstays in The Backyard Pharmacy at Maison Bleue has been the fennel. Originally one small planting in a recycled metal bin has grown into many and its ‘cut and come again’ nature has been a surprise and source of inspiration. Fennel is an excellent example of food as medicine, with the liquorice/aniseed tasting  feathery leaf, bulb, seeds and flowers all useful as digestives particularly, assisting indigestion, gas and colicky intestinal spasm.  The bulb has endless uses in cooking and salads and is a wonderful way to add an interesting flavour to many dishes. It goes well with anything from fish to nashis to cheese.

Seeing the flowers on my plant reminded me of my success last Xmas using the tiny flavour-bombs that make up the flower head in a savoury jelly for a very special appetizer.

Carrot and fennel jellies

2 small sliced carrots

1 small piece of ginger (size of thumbnail) sliced

boiled for 10 minutes in 1 cup water

Remove ginger slices and puree and squeeze through muslin cloth. Add 2 dissolved gelatin leaves. Pour into small glasses to 75% full and cool.

2 heads of fennel flowers at budburst stage

Snip each individual seed head from each flowerette. Warm 2/3 cup sweetish white wine (or apple juice). Add flower buds (otherwise known as flavour- bombs). Add 1 dissolved gelatin leaf. Pour carefully onto carrot jellies. Cool.