 |
| Own grown broccoli greens, dwarf eggplants, Italian sweet green bell peppers |
 |
| zucchini. celery, parsnips, carrots, parsley |
 |
| red and brown onions,with Russet potatoes |
 |
| Previous 2 the mushroom and tomato sauce for the gnocchi |
 |
| previous 3 the Moroccan Inspired chickpea and vegetable soup |
 |
| The vegetable base for the cheese and vegetable Strudels |
 |
| own grown dwarf eggplants for the Vegan Provencal Tarts |
 |
| The filling for the Provencal Tarts |
 |
| Tomato and vegetable coconut creamed soups..finished with purple basil ( own grown) |
 |
| The cooked Vegan Provencal tart filling, to be finished with capers and black olives |
 |
| The Strudel vegetable base |
We are in the middle of another Pacific Storm and waiting happily for the rain, and there is snow now on local mountains.
Today I gathered the last of my own grown broccoli, some small sweet green Italian bell Peppers and some dwarf eggplants both the latter seem to be happily flowering again so this will be their 3rd harvest this year ( the plants are grown from seed and are 2 yrs old).
With the change in the weather we have a change in the menu...and tomorrow I am going to be delivering the following menu:
A Moroccan inspired Chickpea and vegetable soup with cumin and turmeric..a hearty vegetable broth, packed with vegetables and chickpeas.
A Carrot-parsnip Tomato coconut creamed soup
Provencal Individual Vegetable Tarts ( originally this recipe called for Goat's cheese and a cheese crust, but I am making them vegan by sauteing the vegetables and de-glazing with red wine ( originally they were to be grilled but as these are cheese-free this will give the tarts a deeper, savory flavor). The vegetables are eggplant, bell peppers, red onion, garlic, herbes d' Provence, zucchini and these will come with a cabbage based chopped tomato-black olive salad.
Some fantastic Cheddar cheese & root vegetable strudels ( these are one of my biggest selling items).
Based on the English Cornish Pastie, in the 19th century when the Cornish Miners worked the tin mines, their wives created a pastry, the size of half a dinner plate, one side of which contained a savory meat based filling, usually, carrots, onions, potatoes and whatever was leftover from Sunday roast; the other side contained dessert, apples and sugar.
The miners were able to take this down the mine and eat it without needing knives and forks, and the 'container" was edible.
My "strudels" began as cheese and vegetable mini pasties, the size of 1/2 a tea saucer, but 2 of my clients were expectant mothers and needed something they could walk around in one hand and eat, especially handy during breast feeding to, so I made them into Strudel shaped rather than a crescent, and they have been popular with all my clients ever since.
Also everywhere that I have worked around the world, pastry based "pasties" in some form are always popular with everyone..in Spain they were made with Spinach, raisins and almonds; in France roasted sweet bell pepper and anchovy; In northern Europe cabbage and potato with caraway; In Argentina olives, beef and spices..so be bold and experiment, if you don't want to make your own pastry buy ready made and experiment with the fillings..the unbaked ones can be frozen. Then remove from freezer, eggwash and baked as needed.
Bake in a 400f oven for 25-35 minutes depending on size and fillings until golden brown.
If the filling contains cheese then also add it to the top so people will know.
After egg washing they can also be sprinkled with herbs and spices- poppy seeds, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, rock sea salt, dried herbs.
A tomato-mushroom, red wine sauce for whole wheat gnocchi
The side dishes are:
own grown broccoli greens & baby spinach with garlic and fresh thyme
Roasted beets with oranges and honey..a fabulous dish
No desserts tomorrow as everyone is "watching their weight" for the holidays...
For some their will power will not last...lol
I will post the completed tarts and "strudels" tomorrow....
No comments:
Post a Comment