Chomp Recipes
November 2009 - click to view
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April 2009 - click to download
February 2009
Tomatoes
How are your tomatoes going? Did they cop a blast in the recent heat? I was a bit saddened when I trotted up to the Community Garden last Saturday to water our splendid array of about 5 different types only to find that they were quite burnt...so I gave them a big drink and upon looking under the leaves, found enough ripe ones to give away to friends and to make a simple sauce for pasta...also using organic garlic grown over spring and fresh oregano which had survived the hot blast...of course, really ripe home grown tomatoes will always taste best squished onto some fresh sourdough with some feta cheese, black olives and fresh basil...in the meantime, back to the Community Garden to clean up the plot, call in and say hi...
microwave fresh tomato sauce
with chorizo & olives
6 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 med brown onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
8 kalamata olives, pit and roughly chop
1 chorizo sausage halved and sliced
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
tbs balsamic vinegar
½ tsp smoked paprika or pimento
cracked black pepper & sea salt
fresh oregano & extra to garnish
pecorino cheese
In a covered microwave cooker, place olive oil, onion and garlic, cook on med for 5 minutes...add tomatoes & cook covered on med for 8 minutes...add remaining ingredients and cook on med for 10 minutes...pausing after 5 minutes to stir...season and serve over any choice of pasta with a good grating of pecorino cheese...a green leafy salad and baguette chunks...
Also good with...
As a topping over a bowl of steamed veggies...or, added to cooked brown rice or cous-cous to stuff eggplant or zucchini top with grated pecorino, drizzle with a little oil and bake until golden...or, use as a parmigiana (chicken, beef or lamb fillets) which would be...a lean piece of either, beaten a bit so they’re flat...saute briefly in olive oil, drain, then top with sauce and top with grated pecorino then grill gently until nicely brown and serve with...the slimmers Greek salad...spinach or cos leaves...on a plate...topped with, thinly sliced red onion, quartered cherry tomatoes, cucumber in small chunks, a crumble of Greek feta, top with some Kalamata olives then dress with a combination of...fresh oregano leaves mixed with...some stripped leaves from lemon thyme and...a mix of...½ squeezed orange mixed with 1tsp grain mustard...luvverly!
Or spoon into large mushroom cups, top with grated cheese and bake in the oven...serve atop a pile of spinach leaves or mix with a can each of drained, washed lentils and kidney beans, cover with slices of cooked sweet potato, top with cheese & bake...like cottage pie
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Mushrooms
Every year I run into regular campers who tell me the first thing they look for when they arrive is a copy of talking heads...ran into Monica up the street in January who told me she really looks forward to my recipes and “where were they in January?”...sorry about that...thought I’d try something different...one of my favourite foods is mushrooms...any kind, including dried...here’s a very yum quick way to make mushrooms for lunch (or any meal)...
easy mushrooms with garlic and red wine
1 kilo of mixed mushrooms such as oyster, shitake, swiss brown or field
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2tbs olive oil
½ tsp dried thyme
½ cup red wine
1 tsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper
Heat oil in a wok...throw in mushrooms and garlic and stir fry until mushrooms start to collapse, about 5 minutes...throw in the rest of the ingredients and heat through...serve with meat of your choice or chicken or...as a vegetarian dish on toasted olive sourdough or ciabatta with some steamed broccoli or asparagus
mushroom veggie stack
with spicy dressing
4 large field mushies~
stalks removed & peeled
1 red onion-quartered
2 red capsicum halved~
seeds & veins removed
4 green or yellow zucchini~
halved
1 head of garlic, halved
1 baby cos lettuce
1/4 cup hummus
1/4 cup natural yoghurt
4 sprigs of rosemary
½ lemon~ juiced
cracked pepper
200gm fresh ricotta, cut into slices
½ cup kalamata olives
Place garlic, vegetables, mushies & stalks cut side up on an oven tray lined with baking paper & roast on med for 10 minutes turn, add ricotta & rosemary and roast a further 10 minutes...turn off oven...in a bowl, squeeze out the cloves from ½ of the garlic, hummus, yoghurt and mash with a fork...add lemon juice and mash until smooth, season...arrange washed and dried cos leaves on a plate...layer, mushroom, vegetables & ricotta...drizzle over dressing...serve as is or, if a meat eater, cut lean lamb shoulder into chunks, skewer & season and grill or barbeque, allowing 2 per person...serve with warm pita breads into which lettuce, veggies & dressing are placed by each person as required...serves 4
OR
Marinate 20 baby octopus in 1 cup of tzatziki dip overnight, tossing a few times...drain then heat 2 tbs olive oil in a wok and fry a few at a time keep warm & serve as before with a squeeze of lemon juice over
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November 2008
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