Fresh Broad Bean Dip

This is the dip made with the children of Oratia School Enviro Group.

Shell the larger beans, cut the smaller beans. Boil in hot water for 4-5 minutes. Drain, add two peeled cloves of garlic and blend.

Add olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve!

Oratia School Garden

The school garden at Oratia District School was full of winter veggies.

We collected the veggies, cooked them together and ate them!

For a full report please go to

http://slowfoodwaitakere.blogspot.com/search/label/School%20Gardens

One potato, two potatoes...

Thank you to all who attended the opening of the Waitakere Slow Food Photographic Award on 22 September 2008.

We had a great evening with wines provided by Coopers Creek and a Potato based menu:

Petite and Perlas potato canapés with sour cream and red caviar
Roast potato rolled canapés with rocket salad and gorgonzola piccante cheese
4 types of Focaccia with potatoes (just potato, potato and pesto, potato and Moroccan seasoning, and potato and cheese)
2 types of Spanish Tortillas (potato and red onion, and potato, spring onion and cheese)
Rich Potato and Chocolate Cake
Potato and corn meal gluten free soft biscuits

Thank you to Sue, Rosemarie and Annette for helping with the catering.

Keep scrolling down for the Rich Potato and Chocolate Cake recipe.

Awards:


It was great to see such a variety of entries exhibited and on behalf of Slow Food Waitakere I would like to thank the artists who submitted a photo, and congratulate the winners:

Jill Jessop – K Road, 1970 (Society) Christine Johannis – Still Life with Mashed Potatoes (Food) Elizabeth Mertens – The Universal Vegetable (Amateur) Max Nyenkamp – My Favourite! (Special mention)

Thank you also to the Judge for the event, photographer John Chapman, to Lopdell House gallery manager Lesley Smith, Public Programmes Coordinator Mels Barton, and all the staff at the Lopdell House for their great support.

The event was possible thanks to the generosity of
A.S. Wilcox, Ecopac, and Fujifilm.

The exhibition will run until 16 November 2008.

Lopdell House Gallery
418 Titirangi Rd
Titirangi
Waitakere City
Ph 09 817 8087
http://www.lopdell.org.nz/index.html

Alessandra’s Rich Potato and Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
800 g potatoes
50g butter
400 g sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50 ml Cointreau liquor
5 free range eggs
200 g self rising flour
2 tbsp candied citrus peels

For the chocolate ganache
250 g dark chocolate
250 ml cream
Candied citrus peels to decorate.

Peel and cut the potatoes. Boil until soft, and then place into a food processor with the butter. Mix until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients, one at the time, and always mixing between additions. Fold in the citrus peels at the end. Line two 23 cm round cake tins (or equivalent size square tins) with baking paper. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for approximately 30-35 minutes. Take out of the oven but let the cakes cool completely in the tins before moving them it onto a serving plate. To make the ganache: gently melt the chocolate with the cream at bain-marie (double boiling). Spread the ganache over the cakes and sprinkle with some more citrus peels.

Serve cold, cut into very small pieces.

Recipe copyright © Alessandra Zecchini 2008

Building my vegetable garden

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini©

Over the last few days I have been planting a lot...but also harvesting!

One potato, two potatoes...

Slow Food Waitakere Photographic Awards 2008

One potato, two potatoes…

Wednesday 22 October 2008,

6pm

Lopdell House Gallery

418 Titirangi Rd

Titirangi

Waitakere City

Ph 09 817 8087

Winners will be announced on the evening.

Exhibition runs 23 October – 16 November 2008

This event was made possible with the support of:

Oratia Farmers Market

Photo by Chris Hoult

The Oratia Farmers Market is on again!
Every Saturday, 9 am to 12 noon, at Artisan Wines - 99 Parrs Road - Oratia, Waitakere City
For more information contact:

Chris Frentz mailto:info@oratiafarmersmarket.co.nz

Here are my picks from the market:

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini©

The best ice cream in Auckland,

Karlene & Terry, artisan beekeepers,

Bush honey, my favourite Earthbound Honey!

While Aldo and Mary-Ann are in Italy for Terra Madre,
Aldo's sons, Marco and Leon, are looking after the salads stall.

Go and visit them next Saturday!

Antoine making ravioli.

Mini Rose Upside-down Cupcakes

Use the same recipe as

One sponge cake, many uses.

And a muffin/cupcake tin.

Tip the cupcakes.

Make a syrup with a little water,

sugar, and a tbsp of rose water.

Pour over the cupcakes and decorate

with rose buds.

The rose buds are dried

(Chinese Rose Tea)

Available in Chinese and Asian shops.

Rose Water is available in many

Middle Eastern shops.

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini©

Gardening

From my garden this week...

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini©

Colourful carrots

Three broccoli heads left...

And broccolini

Camellia japonica

???

Italian Film Festival

Director Silvio Soldini

photo by Alessandra Zecchini©

The 13th edition of the Italian Film Festival in Auckland opened on 1 October at the Rialto Cinemas in Newmarket. The Festival's special guest this year is Italian movie director Silvio Soldini, who was was officially welcomed to New Zealand with a Powhiri at the Marae of the University of Auckland. For more information about the Italian Film Festival please visit:

http://www.italianfilmfestival.co.nz/

I inherited...

Rhododendron hardy hybrid or yakushimanum?

It has the leaves of the first and flowers of the latter...

Camellia reticulata?

This is a big tree sheltered by native trees.

Rhododendron ciliicalyx

This smells wonderful!

Arum lily

There was too much of this and it took a few years to control it down to a small clump.

Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008

Photo by Alessandra Zecchini©

On Sunday 28 September 2008 the children of Waitakere planted 4 Kauri trees at the Arataki Visitor Centre to commemorate the passing of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008.

To learn more about the legislation please visit:

http://www.arc.govt.nz/albany/fms/main/Documents/Parks/Our%20Parks/Waitakere%20Ranges%20Heritage%20Area%20Act%202008.pdf

Vegan Risotto with Saffron and Porcini Mushrooms

Come along to the Auckland Vegetarian Food & Lifestyle Festival THIS SUNDAY
28th September 10am to 4pm
Mt Eden War Memorial Hall,
487 Dominion Road, Balmoral,
(opp. Potters Park).

I will be doing a cooking demo at 1:00pm, and I will include this dish:


Vegan Risotto with Saffron and Porcini Mushrooms

Ingredients
2 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
1 small onion
1 tbsp olive oil
400 g Arborio rice
1 l vegetable stock, hot
1 g saffron

Serves 4

Easy steps

- Soak the porcini mushrooms in 50 ml warm water.
- Slice the onion and sauté with the olive oil until translucent in colour.
- Add the rice and stir.
- When the rice is hot add the mushrooms and their water.
- Add the stock little by little, always stirring.
- When the rice is al dente (15 – 20 minutes) add the saffron and stir well.
- If the rice is not cooked yet add a little hot water.

Serve immediately.

Tips and variations

Vegetarians can add a little butter or grated vegetarian cheese at the end.
For more texture if you like you can add fresh mushrooms (sliced) when sautéing the onion.

Slow Grappa

What an afternoon we had at Slow Grappa! The event, a fundraiser for our delegates Aldo, Mary-Ann and Claire attending Terra Madre, was hosted by Sue and Dan, with help from Deb and Claire. Here are some photos by Barbara Holloway.

Read the full report on http://slowfoodwaitakere.blogspot.com/

Hugo's Tamales

Claire Inwood's Recipe for Slow Grappa

This recipe is from Hugh O'Neill of Hugh's New American Bistro, Denver, where I used to work. Hugh is a wonderful Irishman with a passion for Mexican food!
Some variations we would make were shrimp and peanut (for a Colorado wedding feast) and goat cheese, pumpkin and oregano.
Mexican traditional cheeses such as queso blanco or asadero would normally be used.
Traditionally tamales are made with fresh or dried corn husks. I save the husks off fresh corn in the summer for this use. Corn husks make a pattern of lovely ridges in the masa as it cooks. Fresh or frozen banana leaves work well and some Asian stores sell frozen banana leaves (try the Tofu Shop, Pioneer Plaza, Henderson).

Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
1 3/4 cup roasted fresh corn raw, canned or frozen [raw is fine and canned or frozen is suitable out of season]
1 cup masa meal (lime treated cornmeal, available at Wah Lee's, Hobson Street, and East West Organics, Glen Eden)
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp soft butter
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh green chilli chopped finely OR a few dried chilli flakes added to taste
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Coarsely chopped fresh coriander to taste
2 spring onions finely sliced

Simmer milk and corn, strain milk and keep 1 cup of corn aside.
Purée remaining corn with milk, add to masa and mix well.
In a separate bowl whip butter, baking powder and salt till fluffy.
Add masa mixture little by little mixing between additions.
Fold in green chilli, remaining corn, cheese, coriander and spring onion
Lay corn husks or cut banana leaves 12 to 15 cm flat.
If using corn husks place the mixture vertically in the husk following the lines in the leaf, this makes folding easier.
Place 1 tablespoon or 2 of mixture (depending on size of leaf) in the centre of the leaf, fold in the sides and tuck in ends so that no mixture can escape.
Lay rolled tamales flat in a steamer basket, can double up layers. Steam for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot. Great with a good fresh tomato and lime salsa. Leftover tamales are fine re-steamed.

Any seasonal vegetables can be added, or herbs of your choice, but best to keep with the Mexican theme. Tamales usually feature lard instead of butter, and pork. Good with BBQ chicken or pork added.
You may like to try chipolotles, smoked jalapenos, for a distinct flavour, available from Wah Lee's. Very hot! Use sparingly.
Sweet tamales are also made, using sugar instead of salt, variations on pineapple, banana, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon, and coconut