Late September already and as we all know this time of the year becomes tricky as many producers are away as their stock is low and we are eagerly awaiting new season's growth. However i still have a lot of delicious ingredients to cook with. Simple ideas to pull you through the week.  Sausages, chicken, sprouting broccoli, spring onions and even frozen blackberries are on the menu.

See you tomorrow at the market and of course do drop by for a tasty sample and some inspiration.

Also for those of who want more inspiration i am getting back into my cooking classes which i will be starting on 15 October at Vanguard (the old mojo). I will be talking and cooking us through some fresh ideas to kick off spring and to add to our exciting summer menus.  Any questions come by and have a chat.

See you tomorrow.

PASTA WITH SAUSAGES

Taking the meat out of these tasty sausages not only saves time, but spreads out the sausages so you can feed the family or flat for next to nothing.

Serves 4

4 good quality sausages

½ leek, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic

Pinch chilli flakes

3 Tbsp tomato puree

Olive oil for cooking

Handful fresh spinach, silver beet, rocket or cavalo nero (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

500g pappardalle, tagliatelle, fettuccine or linguine pasta – fresh or dried

Method

Start by 2/3 filling a large pot with heavily salted water and bring to a rolling boil.

Meanwhile heat a large fry pan up with a dash of oil, remove the meat from the sausages by simply squeeze the meat out so they form little meatballs. Add them to the fry pan and cook for a couple of minutes or until golden, add the leek and cook for 1 minute, add the garlic, chilli flakes and tomato puree and toss through with the sausage. Allow to fry for another minute so the tomato starts to colour and caramelises a little, add ¼ cup water to loosen up the tomato paste and to get all the tasty bits off the bottom, reduce until thick and glossy.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and give a brief stir to ensure it doesn’t stick. If using fresh pasta it will only take about 3-5 minutes (always check the packet for times), if using dried it will take considerably longer (read cooking instructions) When your pasta is cooked drain away 90% of the cooking liquid and reserve the remaining.

Add your pasta to the sausage mixture and toss well to combine. Add a little of the water if needed to loosen the sauce so it clings comfortably to the pasta – add more liquid if needed. Season well with salt and fresh ground pepper and generously grate over plenty of parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately.

 

SPROUTING BROCCOLI WITH GARLIC AND CHILLI

 

 

Sprouting broccoli reminds me of Italy. They love to toss this through pasta, roasted onto of pizza or long cooking in red wine, garlic and olive oil and served with bruschetta. Today however we are keeping it short and sweet. Simple techniques that will lift this highly nutritious veg to another level.

Serves 2-4

500g sprouting broccoli

4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

Pinch chilli flakes

Extra virgin olive oil

Parmesan to serve

Lemon to serve

Method

Trim off the base of the stalk but leave the majority on.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. When boiling add the broccoli and cook for 3 -5 minutes. Drain immediately and refresh under cold water.

In a large fry pan add the oil, garlic and chilli. When the garlic has turned a light golden colour and the aroma has gone nutty add the broccoli and coat well in this aromatic oil. Fry the broccoli a little to get slightly fried ends.

Serve with freshly grated parmesan and fresh lemon wedges.

 

STICKY CHICKEN THIGHS WITH HONEY AND LEMON

My children always love these with some steamed rice and perhaps some sprouting broccoli.

Serves 4

1 Tbsp black peppercorns, crushed

2 lemons, juice only

6 sprigs fresh thyme

good squeeze or two of runny honey

Tbsp grain mustard

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 large chicken thighs, bone in and skin on

sea salt, to taste

4 spring onions, sliced thinly

small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, leaves only

1 lemon, for serving

Method

Preheat the oven at 200C

Place the peppercorns into a pestle and mortar and grind until roughly crushed. Add these to a large bowl together with the lemon juice, honey, thyme, mustard and garlic and mix well.

Place the chicken thighs into a large roasting tin and pour the lemon and honey mixture over the chicken, leaving it to marinate for as long as possible. Sprinkle with sea salt, to taste, then cook in the hot oven for 45 minutes, turning halfway through cooking so that the thighs become lovely and sticky.

Serve with freshly chopped parsley, spring onions on top and lemon wedges.

BLACKBERRY MUFFINS

Makes 14-18 standard muffins

2 ½ cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp milk

1 cup sugar

¼ cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ fresh or frozen blackberries

Method

Preheat oven 190C

Position rack in first rack below centre of oven.

Grease a standard 12 muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

3In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, sugar, oil and vanilla.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the berries.

Do not overmix! Overmixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. The batter should not be smooth.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins.

Bake until a risen and golden (17-20 minutes (or longer). Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan.

 

Alison would like to thank the following vendors for their outstanding products

ORGIN BEEF – beef sausages

ETTRICK GARDENS – frozen blackberries, sprouting broccoli

MCATHURS BERRY FARM – leeks

JANEFIELD HYDROPONICS – spring onions, parsley

DUNEDIN POULTRY – chicken thighs