Hello again
Chilly mornings are heralding delightfully clear sunny days but my toes seem to keep telling me it is cool long after the sun peaks through. My desire for comfort foods prompts me to snuggle up with a warm rug and lots of recipe books dreaming of an open fireplace with a warming casserole sizzling in the corner. Oh those childhood memories!
For now though, I settle with browsing through books by my favourite chefs to see what grabs my interest. Those of you who have been reading this newsletter for a while know that Yotam Ottolenghi is one of my absolute favourites for winter cooking inspiration so I was thrilled when last night while scrolling through Insta posts I spotted a reel (video) where he demonstrated making greens the Ottolenghi way.
Eating lots of leafy greens in winter and enjoying them too is important for our health, so this particular recipe – for tomato, chard and spinach with fried almonds – is on my menu for tonight’s dinner. It is a combination that Ottolenghi suggests could be used in a pie filling or served at room temperature as part of a meze spread. Eating it hot – straight from the stove is my choice today.
For more Ottolenghi inspiration here is a link to Yotam Ottolenghi’s 10 recipes for an Australian winter featured in The Guardian.
What’s NEWS at the Market this Week?
A HUGE congratulations to Kaye and David McNaught for their new organic certification. Kaye said “our pecans are now organic!! We’re super chuffed to be awarded in-conversion status for the orchard, in recognition of the organic-farming practices we have used for years.”
Kaye is very excited that they have their new “certified organic in-conversion” label on each of their pecan packets.
Pecan nuts are delightful in heaps of recipes including salads and who can resist a pecan pie? Carry pecans with you wherever you go and you always have a healthy and tasty snack.
Did you know that pecans contain the most antioxidants of any nut? And … there are so many more health benefits from eating pecans. For more info about these benefits click this link: 9 Health Benefits of Pecans That’ll Make You Go Nuts
Visit Rob and Lella at their Spice Palace stall where you will find a display of TRP’s tasty organic pecans and both large and small packets for your enjoyment.
What’s GREAT at the Market?
We know that winter is here and planting schedules are working when peas arrive at some of the stalls. Jumping Red Ant has both shelling peas and snow peas.
The crunch of snow peas makes them a perfect lunchbox snack – that delicious sweet pea contained in their own edible shell. Quick and easy to pop into your bag for a snack anytime anywhere. Grab a handful and enjoy their crunch.
They are also delicious sliced thinly and tossed into a salad or very lightly steamed and served hot.
A popular salad at my family gatherings is a warm spinach salad with feta and peas. Lightly steam the peas and toss them with a bunch of spinach then crumble feta over the lot. Use your favourite salad dressing or whisk equal parts olive oil and lemon juice. Add a clove of grated garlic, plus salt and pepper to taste and whisk or shake your jar vigorously and voila!
TIP: A quick search showed that Jamie Oliver includes sugar snaps in his recipe and another refreshing addition is finely diced mint. You can be quite adventuresome with this recipe. For add in pea sprouts from Summit Organics and you have another variation.
