Saturday, 8 December 2012

first say



Domicilio Verde, An Italian connection,
Lear Greenhaven, a resourceful Australian

La Cucina – What We Are Cooking
In preparation for Christmas the beautiful Pineapple Boiled Fruit Cake is required.
Pineapple Boiled Fruit Cake
Ingredients:
  • 450g can crushed pineapple and juice
  • 500g mixed dried fruit
  • 1 tbs sherry
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 125g butter or margarine
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp ground ginger, ground cinnamon plus extra for me.
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of (baking) soda
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Method:
1   Preheat oven to 180C (370F). Grease a 20cm cake pan.
2   Place the crushed pineapple, dried fruit, sherry, brown sugar, vanilla essence and butter in a saucepan and cook on medium heat for 6 minutes or until mixture is bubbly. Allow to stand until cool.
3   Fold in the flours, mixed spice, bicarbonate of soda and the lightly beaten eggs. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
4   Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove and cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack.
Note, this time we used two loaf tins and it cooked beautifully, no soggy middle.  In addition, it is much easier to cut into modest sized slices and we wrapped up the other loaf for “ron” later on.
Sala Da Pranzo - What are we eating
 Sauerkraut is ready.  Made from the cabbage from the garden and the whey from the cheese making. The red one grew mould, whoops out it goes.
Apple Cider.  Absolutely delicious. Cool and refreshing.
I am a tomato freak.  Even when there were none in the garden I haveto buy them at any price.  I even eat tomatoes for breakfast on toast.
We are eating dried tomatoes in oil. - Store bought tomatoes, not too juicy so easier to dry in this hot dry weather and fresh tomatoes from the garden.  At a dinner party this week, Elizabeth made a beautiful entre, Tomato Jelly with crab salad





L’Orto – What’s Growing.
This week, still no rain but joy. The flowers are all out. Agapanthus everywhere, nasturtiums, butterfly plant all an absolute riot