Winter Favourites

The main ingredients we use come from our gardens and orchards as well as the wood to cook it. In addition we preserve our harvests. These preserved foods come into their own during winter and early Spring where we can savour past harvests.Seasons can be very localised for example here in the Adelaide Hills the rainfall drops an ‘inch a mile’ (in the old money) so after driving in any direction from Mt Lofty  for 20 minutes the rainfall has halved! an so the growing conditions.

So here are a few of our favourite winter dishes featuring our own fresh harvests.

Winter Greens Salad

There is nothing better in winter than a crisp green salad straight from the garden. Over winter there is an abundant supply of fresh greens from the garden. Although the lettuce appear to grow outside, they are just sitting around getting bitter. For this reason they are best grown in the tunnel or cold frames.

Mix of greens including lettuce, miners lettuce, mache, watercress, green wave mustard, leaf chicory,rocket,  nasturtium (leaves and flowers), fennel tops.

Peeled and sliced kiwi fruit.

Toss all together. I prefer this salad undressed, remaining crisp and fresh like the outside in the garden. If I dress it I use Nirvana farms own raspberry vinegar but no oil.

Fennel, Orange and Macadamia Salad

1 fennel bulb sliced,

1 orange, peeled and sliced

3 tbsp. macadamia cheese*

Dressing: 1tbsp olive oil, juice ½ limes or lemon. Seasoned to taste.

Mix all ingredients well. Leave for ½ hour before serving. Garnish with sprigs of fennel top.

*Macadamia Cheese: Cover 1 cup of fresh macadamias with water, simmer gently for 20- 30 minutes, remove from heat and cool or soak overnight. Add to blender and blend well. Strain and sieve. Store in refrigerator. It can be seasoned with salt, lemon juice and or herbs.

 

Rhubarb and Kiwifruit with Goose egg Custard.

3 sticks rhubarb cut into pieces

6 Kiwifruit, peeled and sliced

Honey

Put fruit in ovenproof dish, drizzle with honey and bake in a moderate oven for ½ hour.

Custard: 300ml Milk: 1 desert spoon sugar: 1 goose egg. Beat egg add sugar and milk. Beat well.

Pour over fruit and return to oven for ½ hour or until custard is set.

Goose eggs make the BEST custard. The blend of the kiwifruit and rhubarb is just sensational.

The goose egg season begins around early July and extends to around mid September. Today the first hatched goslings are out and about the orchard with their parents. The eggs are uses for omelettes (1 egg serves 2 adults) pasta, custards, quiches and frittatas.

1 goose egg = 3 hen eggs.

They make great omelettes as well!